Ranma: Take 2
by Innortal
Summary: The battle is done, but now the pieces must be picked back up. What truths and lies will be revealed, and how will they move on with them?
1. A Better Way

**Ranma ½**

**A Better Way**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She threw her uniform down on the floor, hoping that it would ease the smell of fast food that covered her body. But the smell still lingered. She almost went to take a shower, but knew that wouldn't help. No matter how hard she scrubbed her body, the smell would never leave her.

So she sat down near the window, the curtains still drawn, only allowing a little sunlit to seep into the small apartment. She took a quick look at the small apartment she had called home for so many years. It was barely big enough to live in; a small kitchen/front room/bedroom. The only comfort was that the bathroom was at least separate. But with her job, this was all she could afford; a far cry from what she had left behind when she divorced her husband, and worse than what her first home with her family had been like.

She sighed to herself, and looked at the small opening through the curtains, staring out onto the city. _I guess this is what I deserve. I've been too uncaring to those near me, I married that jerk because I thought it was what I wanted, and now thanks to him, the best job I can get is an assistant manager at a damn fast food place. Boy, I finally made the big times._

_But at least I am doing better than Ranma._

_Ranma._

She tried to remember her good times with him, the laughs she often got at his expense. But her mind just kept wandering back to everything she did to him that she now felt so guilty for doing. Even though selling those pictures of him and Akane had kept the family afloat, she should have gotten his permission first. The wreckage of the wedding still left a scar between Ranma and herself, one that never really healed, even after him and Akane finally did get wed.

_It wasn't that long after I got married._ That thought made her shiver. Her husband had seemed like a great guy at the time, and his wealth; she did admit, wasn't exactly forgotten when she considered marrying him. For the first year, things were great, and eventually he became more and more distant. So she hired a private investigator to trail her husband, to make certain he wasn't cheating on her.

Of course, she never expected to find out that he was cheating on her with his personal assistant; a guy named Kenji.

Nor did she expect him to react the way he did when she confronted him about it. The asshole actually threatened her to keep his secret. Saying if she exposed it, he would make her life a living hell.

And then Ranma's and Akane's marriage went under.

The two had finally settled their differences. They were civil to each other, now that Ranma began training Akane as an equal, instead of a little girl who might get broken from the slightest touch. But for some reason, still unknown to even her to this day, her sister began to become distant, eventually leading to her snapping at Ranma for the slightest reason.

The fights became worse, and Ranma on more than one occasion ended up staying at Nabiki's house. Her husband never minded. He was too busy on trips with Kenji. She felt so sad watching him come over, seeing a slight bruise here and there where his wife had hit him, knowing that inside, he was hurt far worse than anything he had ever felt physically.

Then that night happened.

Ranma arrived, causing her to think another fight had happened. But when she got close to him he just hugged her and began to cry. When she finally got him settled down enough, he told her everything. How he had come home with Akane's favorite flowers, intending to sit down with her, make her tell him why she was so upset, why she was so mad at him, so that he could save his marriage. But when he went through the house to find her, he found Ryoga Hibiki with his wife, naked in their bed, asleep. With one sniff of the room, anyone could tell what had happened. He had merely dropped the flowers and left. They never saw him arrive or leave, and then he just went to Nabiki's.

He cried for hours on her shoulder, often asking why this happened, why Akane treated him like this, why his friend betrayed him like this. The truth was she didn't have the answers, neither did he, and the two people who did never would tell them, let alone ask them in the first place.

_It was then that I really fell in love with him I guess._ She and Ranma talked for hours, trying to make him feel better, telling him that he had tried his best, and that no matter how hard he could try, Akane was still her own worst enemy, one that not even the great Ranma Saotome could protect her from. He had fallen asleep, his head lying on her lap. She just stroked his hair, trying to make him feel safe and calm; amazed at him that he didn't just simply kill Ryoga for betraying him, or even hurt Akane for destroying his heart.

Then a new thought crossed her mind as she watched him sleep, apparently peacefully in a long time. _I wish I hadn't been stupid and given you to Akane, I wish I wouldn't have let my own petty fears and greed stop me from seeing you the way you really are. I had two chances for you to be mine, to be the love we both want now. I wish it had been me that you fell for._

Those thoughts still bugged her now. But she meant them that night. She meant them when they had both gone out to get drunk. She meant it when they had returned. She still meant them when they slept together that night, each one forgetting that they were married, forgetting about the spouses who made their lives miserable, forgetting that for a moment, nothing else mattered.

But when she woke up, he was gone. A simple note saying he was sorry for taking advantage of her, for not resisting her charms. No one had seen or heard from Ranma again since that day. And none of her contacts, or even those of her husbands, could find him.

Akane had called her after she woke up, saying he had found a letter from Ranma saying he was leaving her, and that he would not return. His sister wanted to know if she knew what had happened to make him leave. So she told her younger sister everything (with the exception of the sex from last night between Nabiki and Ranma). Her sister spent an hour on the phone, crying. Saying she didn't know why she did it, or even why she had begun to get distant with Ranma. But somehow, Nabiki thought Akane knew the answers all to well, and did not want to share them with her older sister.

But it was too late. Ranma had taken control of his life, to try and make it better.

It was of little comfort to Akane.

But it was enough to make her to take control of her life. She went to her husband and demanded a divorce, which he was reluctant to give, considering the marriage was all that kept people from thinking he might be gay. But she was adamant, saying she deserved better than to be trapped in a loveless marriage. If he couldn't accept who he was, how could she be expected to suffer because of it? It wasn't until she threatened to have the photos from the private detective sent to his family that he finally agreed, even offering her more money to keep quiet. "I don't want you stinking money!" she told him. "I only want my freedom from you, from this lie."

And so they were divorced. She didn't get much in the way of alimony, a far cry from what her other rich snob friends thought she should have gotten, but she didn't care. Money was no longer that important to her. And with her college education, she was certain she could get a better job.

She did, and for a while, she lived well, and felt better about herself. She was even helping support the dojo, which was now being taught by Ryoga, and support her family. It was a life she felt better about, until the company was bought and dismantled by an unknown corporation.

When the same thing happened at her second job, she did some digging and found out who it was: her ex-husband. The fool had actually thought that if he made her life miserable, that he would get her to come crawling back to him, begging for forgiveness and to be once again in the sham marriage.

The fact he had destroyed countless lives for the sake of some stupid fear finally pushed her too far. She had sent the photos to his parents and copies to everyone he worked with. He was promptly removed from the company's board of directors. She was still unsure if it was because he was gay, or because he had used company funds to make Nabiki's life miserable. His own parents didn't even speak to him for a while. But he did get the final laugh, officially "blackballing" her, making any chances of another well paying job a pipe dream.

So she took a job at wherever she could get. Luckily, a friend from her days in high school was an owner of some local fast food stores, and at least gave her a managerial position. She told Nabiki she was sorry but for now that was the best she could do. For that, Nabiki was thankful.

But it didn't help that she kept coming back to this apartment, kept feeling the loneliness. And she would be lying to herself if she said that thoughts of ending it all hadn't happened into her mind on more than one occasion. But she would never do that. If Ranma could hold back his anger at Akane and Ryoga, if he could keep going, so could she.

But looking over at her uniform and shoes, lying discarded on the floor, she couldn't help but cry.

_Ranma, I miss you. I love you. Be safe, wherever you are._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The shower had invigorated her some, but she still felt a little depressed. _Now I know how Ukyo and Shampoo felt when Ranma chose Akane. It feels so hard just to get yourself out of bed, to face a new day, knowing that the one you love will always be out of reach._

She discarded the towel, and stood before her mirror. _At least my body still is in good shape, better than most the people I work with. Too bad the one I want to see it isn't around anymore._

So she sat on her bed, picking up the broken mirror she had swiped from Happosai. _Not that the old letch would miss it._ She had often stared at it, wondering if she could use it to change everything, and often made a wish on it. She knew that if she shed a tear on it, it was supposed to take you back. But she never let her tears touch it. _This is my life now and I have to accept it._

But she bowed her head, tears beginning to flow. "I just wish I could go back, and make this all better, make everyone happy, make up for everything I did to them."

**Is that your wish?**

She looked around, thinking some pervert had snuck into her apartment; probably the manager again, she knew he had tried it, that was why she had spent so much on the new locks. But she was alone.

**Is that your wish?**

She turned towards the mirror in her hand, and noticed that her tears had fallen on it. "What have I done?"

**I do not have much power since I was cracked, but I can grant your wish, but there will be a price.**

She looked stunned at her own reflection, which appeared to be talking to her. She was being offered her dream, to make up everything that she had done to her family, her friends, to...to Ranma. "What is the price I have to pay for this wish?"

**I cannot give you physical form in the past, but I can place you in your body of that time, but who you are now must learn to live with what you were then. If the two of you cannot come to an understanding, and become one being again, it may kill you. That is the price you must pay for this wish. I will not be able to separate you, even if you use the unbroken mirror in that time. Only by understanding and accepting yourself, can you hope to survive. That is the price, what is your answer?**

"As long as I can help those I care about, your price doesn't matter. I'll do it."

**Very well. I will tell you this; I wish you the best of luck.**

With that, Nabiki was surrounded by a bright light.

_**You have a good soul child; I am honored that I can do this last thing for you. I hope you can make your dreams a reality.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	2. There and Again

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 2**

**There and Again**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She woke up in her bed, her old bed. She raised her head from the pillow, trying to force her way past the monstrous headache now threatening to blow her skull apart. _Did it work, am I back?_

She forced herself unsteadily to her feet. The headache was lessening, but still was taking a toll on her. She barely managed to stay standing as she worked her way towards her desk, where her planner would be. _It had to work, if I came back too late, Ranma will be pissed at me for one of my stupid money-making ideas, and stuck loving Akane. If I'm lucky, I came back early enough to make certain I don't have to use poor Ranma for anything, other than as a person to love. Unless of course my sisters try and go for him again. But I am not dumping Akane on him. He deserves better than that. _

_Since day one, that sister of mine played with his emotions constantly letting any situation Ranma was in make her jealous and attack. Maybe that's why she cheated on him, without the jealousy from Ranma and herself, what was there?_

_But I can't be angry at my sister now. She hasn't done anything, plus I guess having to deal with that pervert horde at school every morning isn't helping matters. I have to make certain Ranma will stop it, or at least make Kuno see the back side of the school walls for a while._

_But this is all a mute point unless I know when I am, as well as what that mirror meant. 'My past self must reach an understanding with my present self.' What the hell is that supposed to mean?_

She finally located her planner underneath all the clutter of her desk, her headache gone for the moment, but not forgotten. She then began tearing through the pages, trying to find the current one, the only one without an "X" throughout the entire page. _Let's see, the date. It is one week before Ranma arrives._ She screamed out in joy, instantly silencing herself before her sisters would've came upstairs to figure out what there sister was up to.

_All right, let's see here. I have a week to prepare for Ranma's arrival. I need to get a new kimono, my hair done..._

_What am I thinking? I need to make certain I have enough money so I don't seem like a greedy bitch when he arrives._

_**Who's a greedy bitch? I just like making money, that's all.**_

_Who said that?_ She looked around, but saw no one in her room.

**_I'm in my head. Who the hell are you and why are you going through my stuff, and who is Ranma._**

It was then that Nabiki finally understood the mirror's message. She has to convince her younger self to be different, or else the stress would kill them.

_**WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE STRESS WOULD KILL US? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?**_

_All right, calm down, and let me explain. This all started, I mean, will start in one week._

And so future Nabiki spent the next hour reliving her highs and lows with her younger self. Anyone watching her would have only noticed the young woman with her eyes closed, sitting on her bed, looking as though she was meditating.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

_So now you understand?_

_**So you want me to go out with a guy who turns into a girl when hit with cold water, because you had a one night stand with him after our younger sister cheated on him with his best friend/ bitter rival. Plus you wish me to not use him in any way, shape, or form to make money off of so that he will feel appreciated and safe here. All this, even though in a few weeks time, all hell will break lose as his other fiancées show up, trying to claim him and kill us. Is this what you want?**_

_Yes. It was a little simply put, but yes. This is what I want._

_**Sister, you must be out of your god damned mind.**_

_This will take longer than I thought. Anyway, are there any bets around right now where we could make a lot of money from?_

_**How big?**_

She could sense her younger self was interested. _I need something with long odds I would never normally bet on that will pay a huge return since I know how it will end._

_**Damn sis, I forgot you would know how the big bets would go down. Maybe we can work something out.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hello Kouji, this is Nabiki."

She was talking on the phone with one of her old friends, a guy who had helped her set up the gambling ring at Furinkan High, before moving on to bigger and better things at college. They spent some time catching up, before she asked him to place a huge bet for her on a game the would be a big winner, and with the exact score she already knew would be the outcome, she new exactly how to phrase the bet so she would win the most money, without any of the other gambling bosses tracking her down. Kouji was the best at hiding a gambler's name, but would lament to the bosses that that person would never be allowed to bet again. As she hung up the phone, after giving Kouji the information he would need to deposit her winnings, she was forced once again into a conversation with herself.

_**That was our entire life savings you idiot, what if the game was rigged. The family would be broke, then what?**_

_Don't you think I knew that, why do you think I chose this game. I remember Kouji telling me how it was one of the few games without some catch to it. And it is too late now for the pit bosses to try anything now. Besides, our bet won't raise any flags, and the bosses will still take home eighty times what we are going to win. They won't care. Plus, we won't have to do anything bad to Ranma or Akane to keep this family afloat. Besides, you always wanted a big score._

_**Great, now I can hire body guards for when the other fiancées show up to try and kill me. **_

_That won't be a problem. _She then turned to her father, who had just entered the hallway. "Father, I need you to help me in the dojo, I need to run through some katas, and need you to make sure I'm not messing up."

Her father began to let loose his infamous rivers of tears. "My daughter once again wants to take up the art. I am so proud of you Nabiki."

As they walked to the dojo, she could here her younger self speak. **_Tell me, in the future, is he still like this?_**

_Yep. Never quits, wait until Ranma gets here. The damn floor will always be wet._

_**Remind me again why this is a good thing?**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She began flowing through her kata, finishing one then immediately beginning another. Each one showing a grace that Soun Tendo never knew his daughter had possessed, even showing moves he himself had never seen or taught his daughter. She had given up the art when her mother died, and if the rumors he had heard were true she had done so to make money for the dojo and save them from the poor house. _My daughter is just as graceful as her mother, almost showing an understanding of the art before her time. I am so proud of her, but in a way, I feel so ashamed. I have been wallowing in my own misery for so long, I had almost forgotten about my children. The fact that she has learned so much about the art without me makes me wonder if I am no longer needed._

Nabiki was entering her fifth straight kata when her younger self chimed in. **_This feels weird. How long have you been doing this? _**

_Since I found out my husband was sleeping with his male secretary. It was either this, or cheat on him and get divorced. And at the time, I still needed the money._

_**But you did cheat on him, with Ranma.**_

_That young man gave me the strength to see myself and my life for what it had been. I resolved to live a better life._

_**We live in a crappy one room apartment and work at a fast food joint, was that what you wanted, what I will want?**_

_It was my own fault for marrying that jerk, and he brought me down, granted I got payback, but it cost me everything. I was tired of being the Ice Queen of Furinkan High. I will live my life for myself, for my happiness, and for the happiness of those close to me._

_**At least we have the money.**_

_That money is to make certain we have food on our plates, a roof over our head, and send Kasumi to medical school. You know how she loves those books. Hell, maybe we can get her and Dr. Tofu together a few years early, if we can snap him of his crazy habits._

_**But you still want this Ranma guy, or is it girl?**_

The older Nabiki was quickly beginning to lose patience with her younger self. _I shared my memories with you, my passions with you, everything I felt about Ranma, everything you would have felt for him. No matter what form he is in, he is still a guy, and I love him. It is my dream that I will treat him better than my sister ever would, since she would just end up with Ryoga in the end anyway._

_**Right, whatever. But what makes you think I will go along with it. After all, I can give you a massive migraine anytime I want to stop you, or if you are doing something I don't like. Maybe I'll just make everyone think that you are allergic to Ranma, and then problem solved.**_

_Aren't you tired of being alone, of having no one to console you when you are sad, no one to share your joys, your dreams with? Of being alone all the time, even in a crowded room?_

Her other self remained silent. She didn't even notice that by now, she had started her eighth straight kata, bringing a giant smile to her father's face.

_I know you are, because I am. I remembered all those happy couples; smiling, holding hands, kissing and such. I remember how I felt, how hard it was for me to keep from screaming at the top of my lungs for them to stop. How hurt I was whenever someone would comment about how if a guy was interested in me, I would just take him for everything he was worth, and then drop his penniless ass. I know how much it hurt when Akane dropped him on me, only for me to lose him like everyone knew I would, back to her. I remember what it was like to get excited by the prospect of him coming here that first time, that I might be chosen, since Akane would immediately hate him for being a man and Kasumi wouldn't go for him because he was three years younger than her. I remember how disappointed I was when he arrived as a girl. Do you want to know what that was like; would you like to revisit all my memories of how it felt when the Ice Queen had a shred of hope for love, for compassion from a male with no strings attached? _

Her younger self was silent for a time. **_No. But why does it have to be him?_**

_Because in that one night together, he made me feel more love than in the last twenty years. Because he made me feel more alive then I had been since mom...since mom passed on._ Even the elder Nabiki could feel how sad her younger counterpart became. _After we are done here, I will share those memories with you, how he made me feel that night. Afterwards, I dare you to tell me you don't want it to be him, I dare you to tell me that he isn't deserving of our love. He may be younger and rougher now, but I still love him. And after sharing those memories with you, I hope you will too._

She was finishing her final kata before turning to her father. "So dad, how was it?"

Her father stood up, and walked to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "Nabiki, I am very proud of you. You preformed those katas with perfection. Though the last ones, you almost looked like you were going to cry, but I guess even you have some hard times trying to understand your feelings. I wish I had taught those to you, but your old man lost a lot of himself when your mother left us. But I believe I have finally found the strength to begin to move on. Thank you daughter." With that said, he pulled her into a tight hug, almost suffocating her.

_Great, now he grows up._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hurry up boy; I would like to be in Nerima by the end of the week"

The elder Saotome was walking lightly, enjoying the brisk, warm day, as the wind flew across him.

"Hey pops, why don't you get off your ass and help with the supplies? I don't see why I have to carry all of them."

"Training my son, training."

With that said, the two took off for Nerima, with Ranma having no idea why they were heading there, as his father thought it best not to tell the boy he was going to pick up his fiancée.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	3. Preparations for Destiny

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 3**

**Preparations for Destiny**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The former Ice Queen slowly eased herself into the tub, hoping the warm water would take away the soreness from her muscles. _I spent four hours trying to master the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, but in the end, all I did was wear out my upper body and nearly dislocate my shoulders. I guess Ranma makes learning those moves pretty easy._

_**If you keep this up, you'll never meet that Ranma guy, you'll be too busy trying to heal in the hospital. Do you want to know the size of the headache I'll give you if you dislocate even one of my shoulders? Besides, why are we trying to learn this dumb move anyway? You told me that you never even mastered it in the future, and then you had all that free time thanks to that jerk of a husband.**_

The elder Nabiki could not fault her younger version with her logic. With the money she had and the free time, she had flown Cologne in several times a year to train her; after all, if you are going to dedicate your "excess energy" to martial arts, you may as well be trained by the best. Cologne had been patient with her, even spending extra time with her, helping her heal after she had pushed a move too far; one time passing out from an imperfect chestnut fist. But Cologne gave the young woman her all, determined to make a strong martial artist out of the former mercenary girl. The elder Nabiki began remembering all the images she had with her training of Cologne, the memories of Ranma not only performing those moves, but in some cases actually improving on them. She had to admit she felt a little bit of resentment. Ranma wasn't known for being a great genius, but on the battlefield, no one was his equal.

_**Damn, I guess the old girl is a tough cookie after all.**_

She mentally chided herself for forgetting that for every image that came to her mind, her younger self saw it as well. _I don't know why she trained me so hard. I hope it wasn't out of feeling sorry for me about my husband, or about losing Ranma to Akane. But whatever her reason, she helped me get back my love for the art. Besides, we never backed away from a challenge._

_**Fine then. I will acknowledge that. But no more training sessions over an hour, and we sure as hell are not trying to get chestnuts out of a fire for a few days. We can get fish out of a tank like your lover boy did. Besides, we still have to make ourselves presentable. First impressions are the most important.**_

_Please spare me. We found out he had a curse and dumped his ass on Akane. This is after we called him cute while he was a girl. We had a hard enough time at Furinkan High without that rumor going about; not to mention the questions we had to ask our self the following night. I know damn well we have to make the best first impression. We have to make certain that between us, the mother figure, and the hot tempered devil, we look not to be the lesser of three evils, but the only angel in hell._

_**Calm down already. If you keep this up, you'll pop a blood vessel in our head. **_

_**OK, so you know we need to really wow him with our looks, we need to make him feel safe in the home, make him feel like he has a great friend in us, as well as make certain he doesn't go for Akane and Kasumi. I know the plan, damn it. You've only had me thinking about it for four days now, and we still have three more until he arrives. Don't you think its time to suspend the training a little bit and figure out the most important things?**_

_Like what?_

_**Man, you really are socially dead. Like what we are going to wear, how will our hair be done, nails, etc...? As well as how do we present ourselves as the best option to him, without scaring the hell out of him? We need plans, contingency plans, alternative plans, and emergency backups. We need to make certain that all possible outcomes are anticipated, with appropriate reactions ready.**_

_That's great, but there is just one problem._

_**And what, pre tell, is that my elder sister?**_

_Whenever Ranma's involved, all plans go out the window._

While her counterpart remained silent, Nabiki submerged herself in the water. Her muscles finally starting to relax. She knew the next three days would be the longest in her recently short life.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Hey Nabiki."

Nabiki turned around slowly. Even though her muscles felt better, she wasn't ready to try any sudden movements, fearing that they weren't quite ready for anything faster than the way she used to move in the morning. She noticed her sister, Akane, walking to as she approached the stairs. "Yeah sis, how can I help you?"

"I wanted to ask you something, but I need to find out how much it'll cost me."

That sentence alone made the elder Nabiki cringe. She had almost forgotten how even her family had so completely accepted that if they needed her for anything, it would cost them a lot of yen, which usually meant they never went to Nabiki to do anything unless if was extremely important. _I guess we really did screw up with them. Have to remember to give family more freebies, unless the information is really juicy or extreme gossip. _"Sure sis, you caught me in a good mood. That bath just washed most of my troubles away. So for today only, it's all free, unless it's something even Kuno would pay a fortune for. What is it?"

She watched as her sister did a double take, trying to figure out why her sister wasn't charging her for what she wanted to know, even though she hadn't even asked it yet.

_**Forget the money, that look alone was worth the price I would have asked you to get from her. Now assuming she talks, I'll just sit back and let you handle this. I want to revel in that image for a while.**_

The youngest Tendo finally pulled herself together. "I wanted to know why the sudden interest in the art. You haven't shown any for ten years. And now I see you outside, practicing on some move even dad knows nothing about, drawing spirals in the sand while trying to walk it backwards to the center, and performing katas from who knows where. What is going on?"

_I don't know whether she is doing this for herself so that she can be stronger, to learn something new, or is just afraid I am trying to steal her thunder. Oh well, not like I'll find out by being silent. _"I recently had some free time, and decided to try some stuff I learned from some old books I once had. The katas were taught to me by an old and dear friend, who I probably won't see anymore. And those moves were something I remember off some old scrolls mom once had. But it seems I am having difficulty trying to get them down, but given time, I think I can master them."

_**That is of course assuming we don't send our arms to the other side of the dojo, or pull off the roof with the hurricane thingy.**_

_I thought you were going to stay out of this._

_**Sorry, I couldn't resist adding a few follow-up comments.**_

"But why the art?" her sister asked. "I mean it's like you're a completely different person from last month. What's going on?"

_**Kid, you have no idea.**_

_Please be quiet, I can't make this seem believable if you are always chiming your two cents in._

_**Excuse me, but this is my body you are in control of. But fine, talk all you want, I'll be silent until we get back into MY room Ms. Control Freak.**_

_Oh, believe me; we will be talking about that one._

"Listen Akane, I was just a little bored with my life. I was feeling that I was tired of being the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, so I decided to try and get back to what I was like when I was happy. You remember how I was like when we were both practicing, how we both loved to challenge each other, race to master a new move mother or father showed us. I just wanted to feel good again. Is that so wrong?"

Akane looked down at her feet, slightly ashamed at the jealousy she had once felt with her sister. "No, I guess not. But could you at least show me some of those moves, maybe teach me. I would like a few new tricks to use against the morning horde at school, and maybe send Kuno across the city."

_You have got to give her credit; at least she is trying to learn. _"OK, but it will cost you."

The youngest Tendo took a step back. "I knew there was a catch, how much?"

Nabiki thought for a moment, she could sense her younger self trying to come up with a price tag for the moves she knew. But the elder version beat her to the punch before she could begin to name out prices. "The cost is easy. Every time you lose your temper outside of during your fights with the horde or Kuno, you owe me 1000 yen, from now until you graduate high school. Agree to this, and I'll teach you what I know, but even I haven't really mastered these moves yet."

_**Can I say something?**_

_Make it quick, she won't be considering the price for long._

_**You are brilliant. As often as that girl loses her temper, we'll make more money than we did off that bet. Hell, she might be paying our way through college before we even spend a month with Ranma. But what if she doesn't have any money?**_

Elder Nabiki was about to answer when Akane asked her the same question. "What if I don't have any money at the time?"

Elder Nabiki smiled, and appeared to consider what to have Akane do. But she had already planned for that when she made the original offer. "I get a single photo of you relaxing or working out, to sell at school. That alone should help keep you on your toes, and if not, make a nice profit for me. What do you say?"

Both Nabikis could feel Akane's rage surge. _Good thing she doesn't know my younger self has been doing that already, with Kuno as our best customer. And it is just bad enough to make her start to think twice about letting her temper control her actions. It won't do to have Ranma start to fall for me, just to end up smashed by Akane's mallet. _"Well, do we have a deal or not?"

Akane quickly tried to lower her anger. She couldn't believe her sister would ask for something like that. _That is the most perverted idea she has had in a while. She'll probably try and provoke me so that she will get all my money and those pictures. I can just see the blood shooting out those perverts' noses after seeing me relaxed. But I'll beat her. I will remain calm all the time. She won't get a dime and I'll get some kick-ass moves to teach those boys a lesson in pissing off Akane Tendo. _"You have a deal. So when do we start?"

"Well, my training today has worn me out, so I can't demonstrate the moves to you right now. But I can explain the katas, as well as those moves you saw me trying in the yard. Tomorrow, assuming my arms haven't fallen off overnight, I can begin helping you learn them. How's that?"

She could see her little sister was disappointed. _She was probably hoping for me to show her everything tonight, so she could practice them before tomorrow. Sorry Akane, but these moves may be child's play for Ranma, but we mere mortals will need a while._

"OK," Akane replied, looking a little depressed. "But can we start with that spiral? What the hell is that for?"

Nabiki smiled; something that her little sister was glad to see. "Well that is part of the Hiryü Shöten Ha. It works on the principle of opposite chi energies."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Damn it pops!" a young red-headed girl yelled out. "Why the hell are we going to Nerima? We should have stayed in China and got ourselves cured."

The panda in front of her stopped, turned around, and held up a sign. 'Did you forget about that Amazon girl?'

The young girl immediately stood up straight, looking around for any sign that the Amazon with the purple hair was about, ready to jump out and try and kill her. When she realized that they were safe, she relaxed. "No, I didn't forget. But that still doesn't explain why we are headed to Nerima."

The panda replaced the single sign with two new ones. 'I have a friend there I want to see.' 'He said we could stay there for a while.' He then turned around, and began moving along the path again.

The young girl followed, but began thinking. _He's hiding something, and when I find out what it is, as well as where he gets those signs from, I am going to beat the crap out of him. Sometimes I feel it would have been better to let Shampoo make a rug out of his mangy hide._

The two continued on their path, now only three days from Nerima.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	4. Countdown to Zero

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 4**

**Countdown to Zero**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

Plus, at the end of this chapter, I will place an idea I have had for a new edition to my stories. It will mean an extra day delay on the release of my chapters. I try to do a new one every day to release some stress, and alternate between my two stories of Ranma and Love Hina. Let me know what you think of this idea, as well as what you think of the newest chapter. Thank you for all of your help.

Now, on with the show.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**T-minus-1 and counting...**

Nabiki lay on the back porch, watching her sister try and grab the chestnuts from the fire, before screaming and rushing her hands to the coi pond. She smiled to herself. _It took her three tries to figure out to build the fire near the pond in case you failed. Not that I minded watching her try._

_**Plus the fact we now have an extra 10000 yen she somehow hid from us, as well as five photos to sell to the boys at school. We would have more, but you had to go and tell her that you would let her slide for being visibly angry at herself.**_

_I had to. I know how mad you can get when it seems so close to being in your grasp, and then to fail again. You should have seen how made we got in China when Cologne was training us. It was only a month, but by the end, even my temper was worse than Akane's._

_**Why were we in China?**_

_Well, after our husband dearest finally admitted to being gay, I didn't want to stick around and deal with it. So I went to China in hopes that Cologne would let me stay there for a while. I figured an Amazon village was the best place to get away from dealing with men. We had stayed friends after she and Shampoo had returned to China when Ranma married Akane. After I told her my story, she offered to train me, saying best case, it gave me something other than my unfaithful husband to focus on, worst case it gave me a way to beat his worthless ass._

_**That was nice of her.**_

_Well that was her second offer; the first one was asking if I wanted my husband killed. I told her I'd think about it._

Both the elder and younger Nabiki smiled at that. They looked over to see there sister once again dip her hands into the pond, before screaming some obscenities. _It would appear our little sister has quite the mouth on her._

_**Wait till she gets to school tomorrow. The horde will be whipped into a frenzy by these photos. I figure we can at least get 5000 yen apiece from them, 10000 if Kuno is around.**_

_I don't think we should sell them._

_**WHAT!?!? You said...**_

_I know I told her we would sell them, but it's not like we need the money anymore. The bet paid off, we own the house, the bills will always be paid, plus the interest alone will be enough for us to live on. Why should we demean her anymore by selling them?_

_**Now you listen here. I have put up with a lot of shit because of you. I have sat by while you made these plans for us, left me with no control over my own body, and basically acted like a nagging parent. If I didn't force you, our books wouldn't even be balanced and the gambling ring at school would have fallen apart. Now I am tired of you doing this shit and saying that 'it's for my own good'. **_

**_I've learned enough from you not to make those mistakes. And my future will be different. I'm sorry that your precious Ranma left before you could declare your undying love for him. But I refuse to sit in the shadows. I refuse to watch you live MY life because you screwed up yours. Now you are going to do things my way, or else._**

In a move both Nabiki's would regret later, the elder Nabiki answered back, rage in her thoughts as well. _Or else what?_

_**THIS!!!**_

With that word, a wave of dizziness washed over Nabiki. Had she not already been lying down, she would have fallen over. But this was unlike the pain and headaches before. This time it felt different, more like everything was sliding out of control. She closed her eyes, trying to push it aside, but the waves of nausea and pain continued to flow through her body. The elder Nabiki tried to cry out, but her voice was gone. Blackness was beginning to surround her, despite her desperate attempts to push it back, to gain control again. But it didn't work. As she began to lose consciousness, she had only one thought. _Ranma help me!_

She awoke to see Akane leaning over her. Trying to move, to acknowledge that she was there, Nabiki tried to say something, anything. But she couldn't speak. Her whole body felt like it was on fire, before the heat finally subsided, leaving her feeling as if she had been hit by a truck. Every muscle in her body seemed exhausted, stiff, and sore.

But she had enough energy for one last thing. She rolled over to the edge of the porch, to empty her lunch onto the lawn. _Thank god my hair is still short._

She stayed like that, feeling Akane rubbing her back. But she still couldn't hear her little sister. _What did you do to me you little bitch?!_ But no reply came, and for a moment, Nabiki wondered if her younger self was even 'awake'. _She must have felt that as much as me._

"Nabiki, hold on, Dr. Tofu is here."

_Akane's voice. I can hear it now. _She wearily tried to turn around, before finding herself laying once again on the porch, the good doctor taking her pulse and looking into her eyes.He then went on to do all the things doctors do, checked her pulse, her breathing, trying to determine what had happened to her.

But Nabiki knew what had happened to her, what her younger self had caused. She had read enough books to know what had just happened.

She had had a seizure.

And then the words of the mirror finally came back to her. '**If the two of you cannot come to an understanding, and become one being again, it may kill you. That is the price you must pay for this wish. I will not be able to separate you, even if you use the unbroken mirror in that time. Only by understanding and accepting yourself, can you hope to survive.**'

Now she understood. She now knew what it had meant. If the two continued to fight like that, the pain would become worse. If she had been paying attention, she would have recognized that it had been steadily increasing the last few times. _This means that from now on, another attack might very well kill me, kill both of us._

As Dr. Tofu and Akane helped her to her feet, to guide her back into the house, a tear began to fall down her face. _I can't lose Ranma, not again, not before I even get to see him and tell him how I feel._

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nabiki now set in the warm waters of the tub, the medicine Dr. Tofu gave her finally starting to relax her. She had been in there for half an hour now, thinking to herself, hardly noticing when Kasumi would come in, drain most of the water and fill it back up again to keep it from becoming to chilly. It wasn't until her younger self began to speak that she finally snapped back to reality.

_**Oh, man. What the hell happened?**_

_Your little attack triggered a seizure. We were lucky we didn't die._

_**What are you talking about?**_

_The mirror said if we didn't come to an understanding, we would die. Your little attack gave us a seizure, frightened our family, and may have brought us one step closer to death._

He younger self was silent for a few minutes, trying to understand what she had done, what her future self was telling her. **_I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't know. Are you okay? Are we okay?_**

_Our body feels like hell, but we'll survive. I don't blame you; it's my fault we're in this mess. But please, don't try and do that again. There's no way to know if the next one will finish us off or not._

They both sat in silence, each one trying to figure out where to go from here, trying to phrase it in a way so as not to anger the other.

_**May I ask you something, you don't have to answer if you don't want to?**_

_I told you I wouldn't hold anything back. Hell, I let you relive that night with Ranma, why would I hold anything back now._

The light attempt at humor had served to lessen the mood, but did nothing to end it. **_If you had the mirror, why did you wait so long? Why not use it after Ranma left?_**

_Part of me wanted to believe that it wouldn't work, that the past couldn't be changed. I mean when it was not broken, Happosai and Cologne tried to rekindle their old romance, and failed miserably. So I decided that it might not work, and so ventured forth to make my current life better, to become a better person, someone I thought would be deserving of his love._

_But I won't deny that I was also scared of it. I was scared that if I decided to use the mirror, and it didn't work, then it would be the same as admitting that the mirror was my last hope, my last chance to make things better. I didn't want to face the possibility that if it failed, that I would have lost all hope, and had nothing left. It was better to think of the mirror as a final resort, rather than as a useful tool._

_Not to say I wasn't surprised when I realized I had shed a tear on it, let alone when it spoke. Maybe it was because I had cradled the damn thing every night since I had gotten it, wondering what I would change. How do you think I remembered about the game? For that first year, all I did after Ranma left was to plan how I would change the past, how I would make everyone's life better. I had it all planned out. From figuring out a way to get Shampoo to leave him alone, to Ukyo's arrival; I even planned on how to train with him, so he could defeat Saffron easily._

_But when it came time to try my luck, to use the mirror, when I figured I had planned for everything, I realized how scared I was. I was afraid that the mirror wouldn't work. That I had done all of that thinking, that dreaming, for nothing. In the end, all I could do was cradle the mirror, and decide to try and make this world better before I would go into the past._

_The sad thing is, I always knew what would happen if the mirror failed. No matter what, I knew eventually I would end up taking my own life. The mirror gave me the strength to go on. If it failed..._

_**I'm sorry, I didn't know.**_

Nabiki now realized that she was crying. _It's OK, I don't blame you. How about we try this? Since we are stuck together, how about I relive my entire life with you? Not just the good and some bad, everything. Maybe afterwards, we won't fight as much._

_**It's worth a shot. Are you sure?**_

_Yeah, you deserve to know everything; maybe it'll help you understand why I am fighting so hard for him._

_Afterwards, we can go sell those pictures, assuming we can walk._

_**Then it's a deal.**_

With that, Nabiki closed her eyes, and leaned back against the edge of the tub. It was going to be a long soak.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

**T-minus-0...**

Nabiki and Akane were walking back from school. Even after the battle with the horde, Akane had been spending every free moment she had with her sister, watching her to make certain that she wouldn't pass out, or have another seizure. Dr. Tofu had even suggested she stay home from school that day, but she had continued to ignore his warnings and go forward.

Nabiki could tell her younger self was upset. She had to deliver her news and instructions to her assistants through letters, as well as receive their reports. After all, you couldn't tell the person you were making bets on that they were in the bets. But she did manage to send out those pictures. Her final report of the day had been confirming Kuno had purchased all five pictures for 25000 yen, which Nabiki shared with her friends, a token by her older self, which her younger self had no problem with.

"Sis, are you OK?" the worried Akane kept asking her, almost to the point even Nabiki wanted to hit her.

"I'm fine I tell you. It was a once in a lifetime event. I probably had some food poisoning from the cafeteria food yesterday." She leaned in and gave her younger sister a big hug.

_But I am far from all right. Ranma arrives today and I can't be seen as sick in front of him. Plus when I get home, I know how nervous I'll be, getting ready for his arrival. I have to make certain I don't push him too far; I can't be clingy like Shampoo or Ukyo. I have to allow him to fall for me. I can't force him; he has to decide to be with me willingly._

_**Would you calm down and just let go of her, she is starting to turn blue.**_

Nabiki released her sister, who immediately began breathing again. "Sorry sis, I guess I don't know my own strength."

"It's... breath ...OK," replied her sister, trying to stop herself from hyperventilating. "I guess we are all a little on edge. We'd better head home, looks like it's going to rain.

And so the two ran home, getting inside before the storm started, neither of them noticing their father constantly flipping a panda post card back and forth, rivers of tears falling down his face.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As the storm continues, we see people still walking the streets. With the renewed interest in their wares, many shops are opening back up, enjoying the slight feel to the air as the storm washes off what had usually been an average day, until everyone spots a red-headed girl fighting a panda.

"I still say it stinks, picking my fiancée without even asking!" She punctuated that last part by flipping the panda against a street sign.

Finally catching her breath, she again speaks to the panda, while grabbing her backpack. "I'm going back to China, so suck on that old man."

She never notices that the panda had gotten back up, or that he had the sign she had thrown him against still in his hand, until he cracked her over the head with it. Once the girl was back over his shoulder, the panda turned around, heading for the Tendo Dojo.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.

**The new idea:** After throwing himself in-between Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo; who were having a hectic battle over him, Ranma wakes up in the hospital. He is told by the doctors that he may never walk again. How will the girls deal with what they have done to him? How will Ranma deal with the fact that his life as a martial artist is over?

This is already playing out in my head. But I want to know and make certain I am not repeating someone-else's story, or if the idea is too far to try and take the characters. Let me know.


	5. Woes of the Heart

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 5**

**Woes of the Heart**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. I would also like to personally thank dogbertcarroll for pointing out a stupid mistake I made in chapter 2, which has been corrected.

The ideas I placed at the end of the last chapter were not things I was thinking of adding to this one, they were ideas for separate stories. I find that if I let thinks sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

One more thing, can anyone please tell me what OOC refers to, I see it a lot, but have no clue to its meaning.

Now, on with the show.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nabiki was soaking inside the tub, trying to make certain her muscles had recovered since yesterday. She had two hours left to get ready for Ranma's arrival, and she didn't want to waste them. But her muscles still had a slight ache from her seizure yesterday, and helping Akane with her training this morning hadn't really been her brightest idea.

"**DAMN IT TO HELL!"**

She looked towards the window again, smiling to herself. _And after another failed attempt at to grab the chestnuts from the fire, our dear sister shows us all her frightening shouting abilities._

_**I have to tell you, I don't like the odds of what could happen today.**_

_Why? What's got you so spooked?_

**_For one thing, trying to teach Akane the Hiryü Shöten Ha means she has to control her temper. Now this temper is what kept her and Ranma apart for so long. So, shouldn't we be trying to keep her angry?_**

_It doesn't matter. When she finds out Ranma is a guy, she will flip out, maybe not as bad as she did the first time, but enough to dissuade Ranma from going for her. As long as I try to be his friend first, and not clingy or demanding like Shampoo or Ukyo, then we will be the front runner. He told me one time, how Akane had asked if she could be friends with him when he was a girl. You saw how well that turned out when he was a guy._

_**I still can't believe she came in here. Didn't she want Ranma to have some privacy? I didn't know our sister was such a pervert.**_

Both Nabikis laughed at that line.

_I can just imagine our poor, sweet little sister bounding around town, acting like a female Happosai._

Outside, Akane was about to try the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken once more, when she heard a loud laugh come from the bathroom. "What the hell is Nabiki laughing at?"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The girls had gathered in the dining room, looking at their father. He had summoned them here, telling them that it was very important. Kasumi was in her usual apron and light work clothes, while both Akane and Nabiki were in their Gis. _Not like I don't know what is about to happen. _Nabiki looked around while their father was still trying to figure out how to phrase his words. _Maybe I should have worn the kimono again?_

**_Nah, you were planning on showing him what you could do. Might as well look the part. Now calm down before you give us a heart attack. Besides, father is already speaking._**

"Fiancée?" asked Kasumi?

"Yes," said Soun Tendo. "The son of a very good friend of mine. His name is Ranma Saotome. If one of you three girls were to marry him, and carry on this training hall, then the Tendo family legacy would be secure."

"Hey, wait a minute here!" Akane was becoming visibly upset. "Don't we get to have some say in who we're going to marry?"

_With an attitude like that sister dear, I don't think you have to worry._

"He'll be here any minute." Soun stood up from his seat. "Him and his father have been on a training mission; recently they crossed into China."

_Better say your line girl. _"Oooh, China."

"So he hiked all the way to China." Akane folded her arms, trying to look as unimpressed as she could. "Wow, big deal."

"Father," asked Kasumi, "how old is this Ranma?"

"Is he cute?" asked Nabiki. _Not like I don't already know, but I guess I got to play the role._

"Young men are so...young," spoke Kasumi.

_This is where I asked what type of guy he is. I won't bother asking what type of guy is he. That will just start father laughing again, and make Akane madder. I have to play this just right._

It was then they heard noises outside, followed by someone opening their front door.

"We have visitors," said Kasumi.

"Saotome, my friend," claimed Soun as he and his eldest daughter went to answer the door.

Akane continued to stare out into the backyard, upset that this fiancée was being forced on her. She turned to look at Nabiki, who was sipping on some tea. _Why is she so calm? I'm mad as hell; Kasumi even became different upon hearing of this Ranma guy. But Nabiki is staying calm, acting like nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Why is she...?_

She wasn't able to finish that thought, hearing her oldest sister scream.

- - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - -

"Would you please stop that?" asked Ranma. She was tired of Soun poking her in her breasts, and was about to bean the man across the room, if not for the fact that he was a friend of her father's.

"A girl?" Soun looked like he was about to faint, sweat dripping from his head.

_At least his first memory of me won't be me feeling him up. _Both Nabikis laughed at this, making certain no one would see this on the outside.

"I'm sorry girls," Soun said, leaning back against a wall. "I assumed my friend Genma's son was a boy."

Nabiki looked over at Ranma, seeing the disappointment in her eyes. **_Even I know what that look means. I knows he's lonely._**

_Then we have to do this. No hesitations._

_**No hesitations.**_

Nabiki now stood before Ranma, fighting every fiber in her that demanded that she take her in her arms, and begin crying; telling her everything would be all right, now that they were together again.

But she held it in. Placing her hand out; she spoke to him. "Hello, I'm Nabiki, and this is my sister Akane. Would you like to be friends?"

Ranma looked at the two, almost afraid to reach out and accept Nabiki's hand. Finally, a need to be accepted outweighed her need to be secretive. She took Nabiki's hand as they dragged her off to the dojo, telling their father that they were going to go spar with Ranma.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nabiki watched as Akane and Ranma sparred against one another. Even though Akane had trained with her sister for the last few days, she was still no match for Ranma's speed, but she had shown some improvement. Ranma actually had to block some of her punches, where the last time she simply dodged and weaved around them. But eventually Akane's temper got the better of her, and Ranma finally landed a tap on her head. Smiling, the female Ranma said "I win."

Akane fell backwards on the ground, laughing. "You're pretty good. It's a good thing you aren't a boy, I couldn't stand losing to you if you were."

Ranma looked sad for a little bit, before she felt Nabiki put her arm around her. "Enough of this after-match fanfare. My turn."

Akane looked a little worried. "Are you sure sis, I mean after yesterday...?"

"Don't worry," said Nabiki. "I'll be fine. It's not like Ranma will keep pounding on me after I yield. Ready Ranma?"

"Uh, yeah." _What happened to her yesterday, I'll have to ask her. I hope she didn't get too hurt._

Both fighters assumed their stances, with Akane sitting back, noting how serious her sister looked right now. Ranma noticed that Nabiki's stance looked somewhat similar to that Shampoo person, who had been trying to kill her for the last two weeks, but discounted the possibility that Nabiki was an Amazon; she was too nice to him.

"You can have the first move Nabiki," Ranma said, not exactly knowing how strong the middle Tendo daughter was.

"OK then." _It's now or never. Ready for me to try it?_

_**Are you certain we can pull it off?**_

_We're about to find out._She rushed towards Ranma, and she got near her, she shouted out "Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken!"

Though Ranma was fast, she was not fast enough to block all of those punches, and was surprised as she flew back, impacting on the wall. Nabiki just stood where she had struck Ranma, looking at her hands. _I did it, I finally mastered the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, and my arms are still attached. _"Ranma, you OK?"

The red-headed girl pulled herself out from the wall, rubbing her chest a little. "Damn Nabiki. Where did you learn that?"

Akane rang in before her sister could respond. "That was the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken; it can deliver over 500 punches in fewer than five seconds." She then turned towards her sister. "I thought you said you hadn't mastered it yet?"

Nabiki looked down at the floor, rubbing her head. "I just did. I figured it was now or never, and I knew Ranma could take it." She finally looked up at her, seeing the enjoyment in her eyes. _Now there's something I missed seeing. _"You know Ranma, if you want, I could teach it to you?"

"REALLY!" The red-headed girl looked almost ecstatic. "I would love to learn that move. You know of any others?"

"Yeah," Akane chimed in again, happy to see her new friend was enjoying herself. "She had been showing me some new katas, as well as something called the Hiryü Shöten Ha."

"Oh man," came the happy response from Ranma. "You've got to teach me everything you know. I'll do anything."

_Anything huh?_ Nabiki took some time to think about this. She could hear her younger self urging to request some pictures to sell, but she mentally chided her younger self, saying now wasn't the time to ask him such things. Finally, she decided what to do. "Ranma, I'll teach you, but you owe me a favor for every move I teach you."

Ranma was about to respond, saying how she happily would accept Nabiki's offer, when once again Akane chimed in. "What are you doing Nabiki?" She figured her sister was going to start asking for pictures of Ranma to pass out to the horde at school, and there was no way she was going to let her new friend be taken advantage of like that.

"Don't worry Akane, it won't be anything dirty. I wouldn't do that to Ranma."

**_I would, pictures of her would fetch way more than Akane, and of course Kuno would pay a high price for either of them in a bikini shot._**

"I merely meant it as an innocent favor. If Ranma isn't comfortable with it, she can say no at any time, and I'll still teach her the move. So, do we have an agreement?"

"Sure," replied Ranma, mentally reminding herself to ask either girl later on about what Akane's little outburst was about. _Man, she must have done something big for Akane to be afraid about Nabiki teaching me._

"OK then, it's all settled." She went up to Ranma, and placed her arm around the girl again. "But for now, you better head to the bathroom and wash up. Kasumi will be serving dinner in an hour, and I'm certain you would enjoy a nice, warm bath."

_Bath, oh no! If I get a bath, they'll see the real me._

Akane stayed in the dojo, trying to once again work on the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken; refusing to stop now that her sister had mastered it, saying she would get a bath after Ranma. Nabiki showed the new guest towards the bathroom, but noticed how nervous Ranma was. _I guess he's afraid that after the bath, we won't like him anymore, that we'll see him as a freak._

"Ranma?"

"Yes."

"I figure something is going on that you don't want to tell us just yet." Ranma looked at the girl, a look of panic and fear in her eyes, a sight Nabiki had seen once too often in the same eyes of Ranma's future self. "So I now name my first favor. In order to teach you the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, I want you to never think for a second that I will ever reject you or hate you.

Ranma stopped at hearing those words. _What is she talking about; does she know about my curse?_

Nabiki continued to talk, turning around to face Ranma. "We all have secrets we don't want to let everyone know, little things about ourselves that we fear if anyone were to find out, they would immediately hate us. But I don't want you to think like that. I want you to know that if any of your little secrets come out, no matter how bad they are, or how embarrassed they make you, I want you to know that I will always be your friend. Never forget that, and I will teach you the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken. What do you say, we have a deal?"

Nabiki extended her hand to Ranma, whose eyes had a near confused look to them, but also the presence of happiness. _She has to know I will accept her no matter what happens, no matter what is different about her._

Ranma reached and took her hand. "Deal."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nabiki was down stairs, waiting. She knew what was coming. She knew what was about to happen. But all she had to do was place herself strategically, to ensure not only would Ranma not be hurt, but to ensure that she was the first one to comfort him.

Then, they all heard it. They heard Akane scream. "PERVERT!"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	6. Confrontations of the Soul

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 6**

**Confrontations of the Soul**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. I would also like to personally thank dogbertcarroll for pointing out a stupid mistake I made in chapter 2, which has been corrected.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

Plus, we all know that the site has been messed up for a few days now, so hopefully it will be fixed soon.

Now, on with the show.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Nabiki was down stairs, waiting. She knew what was coming. She knew what was about to happen. But all she had to do was place herself strategically, to ensure not only would Ranma not be hurt, but to ensure that she was the first one to comfort him.

Then, they all heard it. They heard Akane scream. "PERVERT!"

Everyone watched as Akane, still wrapped in a bath towel, ran outside to get the statue from the lawn. _You think the girl would be smarter than that. _Nabiki continued to watch her sister struggle to lift it. _I even put a sign on the door that said Ranma was inside and not to be disturbed._

_**So I guess it is true, our dear innocent sister is a pervert at heart. Introducing Happosai: female version.**_

Kasumi looked at Nabiki, who had started laughing out loud. _I wonder what Nabiki is laughing at, and why Akane is so upset._

Nabiki stood up as Ranma, now male, came into the room, apologizing. Her sister was about to toss the statue and try to nail him, but Nabiki had placed herself between the two.

Nabiki looked over Ranma, wishing he would have kept the towel on instead of dressing in his usual Chinese clothes. She appeared to be looking him over, trying to figure something out, but in reality, she was just putting on a show, to make him think that she was trying to understand this new man in front of her. Finally, she looked him in the eyes for a few moments, and then pounded her fist into her hand. "Ah, I understand. You must have gone to Jusenkyo."

Genma face-faulted, while Ranma went completely white. _How does she know about Jusenkyo? What is she going to do now?_

Everyone, including Ranma, was surprised when Nabiki just hugged Ranma, squeezing him as tightly as she could. She then leaned up and whispered into his ear. "Don't worry Ranma; I don't think you're a freak. I don't hate you, and I am not rejecting you either. We're still friends if you want to be."

The color in Ranma's face began to return, but did nothing to lighten his fear as he saw Akane with the statue in hand ready to hit him as soon as her sister was out of the way. _She knows I'm Ranma, she knows we went to Jusenkyo, and she knows I am cursed. But she still wants to be my friend. She even hugged me to keep her sister from hitting me. _It took all of Ranma's willpower not to return Nabiki's hug, after all, her sister already thought of him as a pervert.

A little disappointed that she didn't get a hug she was hoping for, she proceeded to turn towards Akane after releasing Ranma, but kept in front of him. "Sister dear, why are you trying to hurt this guy?"

"The pervert was in our bathroom naked, he must have taken advantage of Ranma!" Akane still had her adrenaline going, ready to launch the statue at the pervert boy when her sister gave her an opening.

"I remember putting a sign on the door that said it was occupied and that Ranma was inside, not wishing to be disturbed. You didn't happen to go inside, did you sister dear?" Nabiki knew how to play this situation out, it was the only one she was certain would go according to plan, even with Ranma involved.

Akane started to get a little worried. She didn't want to tell everyone she had purposely invaded Ranma's privacy, and she couldn't lie and say she heard Ranma scream for help, because everyone else would have heard it. The only option was to change the subject and hope everyone would set their attention on Nabiki or the pervert, instead of her and her temper. "That doesn't matter! What matters is why the hell you are protecting the pervert!"

"Sister dear, this isn't a pervert. This is Ranma."

"Oh my!" came from Kasumi, as was the only sound heard with the exception of the statue hitting the ground.

-------------------------

Nabiki had sat by, watching as Genma told everyone the story she was already familiar with, and tried not to show her hurt as Genma threw Ranma into the pond as a demonstration of the curse. But she was standing by to give the boy turned girl a cup of hot water, even making certain it was temped enough not to burn him. She felt herself flush as Ranma smiled at her, thanking her for the water after she had changed back to a he.

But soon, the fiancée discussion appeared once again, making all four children nervous, but none more so than Nabiki.

_This is it; he has to choose one of us now._

_**But he doesn't like being forced into anything he doesn't want to do.**_

_But I've got to get him to choose me._

_**Once again, you are trying to force the choice on him.**_

_But I can't afford to lose him again; I can't let him slip through my hands again. I need him to be with me._

_**Then you really only have one choice, you have to give him an alternative, and hope that he will accept it.**_

_But what if he doesn't, what if he doesn't want me, what if...?_

_**DAMN IT! JUST OFFER HIM THE DAMN CHOICE AND GET ON WITH IT. I AM TIRED OF THIS SHIT! YOU HAVE BEEN DRONING ON ABOUT THIS BOY FOR THE PAST WEEK, TELLING ME ABOUT YOUR LOVE FOR HIM. AND NOW THAT HE'S HERE, YOU TURN INTO A COMPLETE CHICKEN. NOW EITHER YOU DO IT NOW, OR I'LL FORCE A SEIZURE AND HOPE I PUT BOTH OF US OUT OF MY MISERY!**_

She looked over to her other sisters, seeing Kasumi tell Ranma how Akane would be a better fiancée for him that herself. It was what it took to finally get the elder Nabiki to act. "I'll be his fiancée if you two don't want to."

Ranma looked at her, unsure of what he just heard. This girl he hadn't even known for half a day had just agreed to be his fiancée. _Not that I entirely mind it; she is kind of cute, and with a way better temperament than that peeping tomboy. The older one seems to be too uncomfortable with me. I could do worse than Nabiki, plus she already said she accepts me; curse and all. That damn tomboy went from trying to be my friend to trying to crush my skull in nothing flat. But I don't want to get married now, I'm only 16!_

"However daddy, we won't get married until we are finished with school and graduate. Any attempts by you or his father to force us to wed sooner, and I will immediately release Ranma from his father's pledge. They can still stay here as long as they want." Nabiki stared down the two fathers, making sure they saw how serious she was. _He won't be forced to marry me for a while; he can take his time to get to know me. I'll tell him later about how we can delay the deadline. Plus, I gave him an easy out, so I took off all the pressure._

Ranma looked at her for a second; trying to digest the deal she had placed before their fathers. _School will take at least two years to finish. I never even thought about what pops would do once he engaged me to one of them. Forcing it sooner sounds like one of his half brained ideas. Hell, she even gave me an easy out. I just claim they tried to force us together sooner than we were ready for, and I'm off the hook, honor still intact. Man this girl is smart. She has a pretty strong hit as well. _He absentmindedly began to rub his chest where her punches had connected, still refusing to acknowledge how much pain those hits had caused. "I agree with her. It's either that, or I'm out of here!"

The two fathers huddled together, trying to figure out a way to get the two married. Soun was happy that one of his daughters had chosen to marry Ranma rather than be forced into it, but he wanted them married quickly, so that the Dojo would be secure; a thought that even Genma agreed with. His son had fought so hard to not be brought here, and now he was willing agreeing to marry one of the girls, even if she was a year older than him.

But finally, both had to admit that as long as the two willing participants agreed to get married, they could wait. Besides, they could always try to persuade things to go faster later, when they had more time to find a way through Nabiki's contract. "OK my daughter, we will agree to your terms. However I will have no grandchildren born out of wedlock. Understand."

That last statement made the other two daughters and Ranma face-fault to the floor.

But Nabiki sat still, still drinking the tea in her hand. _I guess we have to agree to that. If we get that far and a kid is on the way, I'd rather be married. Not that I wouldn't mind a few chances to find out exactly how much of Ranma's 'skills' were natural and what were little tricks my perverted sister taught him. _"Fine daddy, I'll agree to that."

She stood up and went over to Ranma. "Come with me Ranma, we need to talk."

The boy took her hand as she helped him to his feet, and dragged him to her room, before shutting the door. Akane was still sitting down, her mouth hung open, not really knowing what to think. Kasumi said something about hoping they weren't doing anything improper upstairs, before clearing the dishes off the table. Genma and Soun, upon hearing this, began dancing around saying that soon the houses would be joined.

--------------------------------------------------------

"What the hell was that all about Nabiki?" Ranma had been confused by everything that was happening, especially when she had dragged him to her room, shutting and locking the door.

"Listen Ranma; are you ready to get married right now?"

"No!"

"Good, neither am I. We both want to finish school. We can even delay it for four years or more by going to college. Hell, we'd be in our thirties if we went through a doctorate program. And the longer we delay, the more anxious they'll become, and eventually try to force the marriage. When they do, if you don't want to be married to me, I'll annul the contract, and we're both free, honor in take."

_But the truth is I am ready, and would marry you right now if I could._

_**Careful, that's the attitude that got us a gay husband. Its better if we find out we're compatible first. We better have a first date tomorrow, before the other fiancées start showing up.**_

_I know, quit pushing me._

_**Oh, so now I'm the control freak.**_

"OK," he said, scratching the back of his head, as they were both now sitting on her bed. "I guess you have a point, I'm just a little upset like we're being forced into it."

_He still thinks he is being forced. I got to get rid of that fear fast._

_**Fine, make him think he has tons of ways out of it.**_

"Ranma, I'm not forcing you into this, I would like to date first. But think about it, what are the chances your father will try to force us to marry? I know my father will probably not even wait until the end of the week. And since you get to stay here, engaged or not, you have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, you have got a point there." Ranma was finally beginning to realize how open ended this agreement was. His pops might try to force his son into marriage in one form or another, which he could immediately use to invalidate the contract, thus keeping their honor intact. Plus, they had agreed that Ranma and his father could stay here, even if the marriage pact was broken, which meant he would have a roof over his head, as long as he didn't give Nabiki a reason to kick him out. Plus, he could get her to teach him all those moves Akane was droning on about. In the end, he felt he was in the best situation possible. _Maybe coming here wasn't the worst idea pops ever had._

"By the way," Ranma asked. "How the hell do you know about Jusenkyo?"

"Easy, I've done a lot of reading over the years. Since you got upset when you went to take a bath, added to the fact a girl went in and a guy came out, you just happened to return from China with a panda you called your father; I just put two and two together and took a guess."

"Well, I guess that makes sense."

Nabiki was glad Ranma had bought her story. It was probably the easiest part of her plan she had come up with. She had even gone to the library and looked up Jusenkyo to make certain there was some information on it to bolster her story. Now she had to move in for the kill, and secure her date tomorrow. "Ranma, would you like me to show you some of those moves tonight?"

Ranma immediately perked up. "Sure, that would be great. You already owe me for that Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, and I would like to talk about that Hiryü Shöten Ha."

"OK Ranma, but the second move will cost you another favor."

"What?" Ranma wasn't too worried about her favors; they seemed to put him at ease. He didn't get the feeling that she would do something to hurt him.

"I want to go out on a date tomorrow, nothing expensive, I just think that since we are engaged, we should at least see if we like each other that way."

Ranma was a little worried now. She already told him it didn't have to be expensive, which was good since he was poor right now. He wanted to say no, since her initial agreement with him said that he didn't have to do it if it made him uncomfortable, but the way her eyes looked at him melted his resistance. "Sure, we'll do whatever you like. Sorry, but I really don't know what to do on a date, much less how to plan one."

"That's OK. Let's head outside."

"Sure thing. By the way, could you please tell me why your sister hates me so, as well as why she was worried about you teaching me?"

Nabiki smiled. "The last one, I made a little deal with her, that she would have to do something for me if she lost her temper outside of a fight, which I will have to up the ante on because of her little outburst tonight."

_**Yeah. Now she'll have to do bikini shots thanks to her temper. That will mean a huge profit, and maybe keep the pervert under control.**_

"The first question is a long story. It starts with this idiot named Tatewaki Kuno."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	7. Sacrifices of the Self

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 7**

**Sacrifices of the Self**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

Quick note: 1. _This is a thought of a character._

_2. **This is the thought of past Nabiki, known as the mercenary girl.**_

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. I would also like to personally thank dogbertcarroll for pointing out a stupid mistake I made in chapter 2, which has been corrected.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website #ranma1) where the moves have been listed. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

Also, it may be a while before my next update. I just lost my father yesterday, and need to deal with that first. Thank you for your patience.

Now, on with the show.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki woke to herself, smiling. _Last night had gone pretty good. Ranma acted as happy as a kid in a candy store. Man, was he surprised that I could get all those chestnuts out of the fire. Good thing he didn't repeat Akane's mistake and build the fire too far from the pond._

_**Shouldn't he have been cussing his head off? Your memories show him as a little 'rough'.**_

_I guess he was trying to maintain his composure in front of us. He even listened to my pointers. _

_**But you still need to come up with an excuse for when Shampoo arrives. You know she'll recognize those moves. How do you plan to explain how you know secret Amazon techniques?**_

_I guess we can go with the simplest one. I'll just say it was a scroll left over by some guy named Happosai. We would give it back, but it was misplaced some years ago. I only remember them because I wrote them down. With Cologne's history with him, I know she'll buy it in an instant._

_**And if she doesn't?**_

_Hell, I've seen what that Amazon can do, I watched her a few times do an all-out practice with Shampoo. As long as she doesn't try to slip us some truth serum, we should be fine. Besides, we still have about a week and a half before Shampoo tracks down 'girl-type airen' here. Let's make the most of it._

_**Not like I have a choice, but know if they are about to kill us, I will kill you first.**_

Nabiki then opened her eyes and tried to sit up.

But then it hit her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After hearing the second splash, Soun Tendo turned out to look at his back yard. He saw Ranma, now in her girl form, standing back from the pond, while a giant panda surfaced. _At least they are doing it outside. If I had let them practice in the dojo like they wanted, I'd probably have about twenty holes to fix._

"So pops, you still think I'm a little slow? Or do I need to bruise your black & white ass again?"

He looked over to the panda, which was holding a sign again. 'Careful boy, confidence can also cause your defeat.'

"Come on pops, every time I beat your shaggy ass, all you do is complain about how I still need training. Sometimes I feel it would've been better if I let those Amazons have you." She turned to head back inside to get ready for breakfast, until her father grabbed her and flipped her into the pond.

'Didn't see that coming now did you?' The panda put the sign down and headed inside.

Ranma, once again soaked, sat in the pond. _Mental note, if get chance to go back in time, leave stupid panda with Shampoo. If trade needed, take rock. Price about same._

"Ranma," Kasumi called. "Breakfast is about ready, could you go get Nabiki for me. I'd appreciate it." She walked over to the girl, now out of the pond, and poured a cup of hot water on her.

"No problem," the now male Ranma replied. "Just make sure the stupid panda doesn't eat my breakfast."

"Sure thing." Kasumi returned inside, seeing the panda now holding a sign, proclaiming that he would never do such a thing. But she just continued to smile and walk into the kitchen. _I'll have to remember to put Mr. Saotome on a diet. His panda side looks a little unhealthy._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki slowly raised her head from her trashcan, after 'graciously' donating her dinner and midnight snack to it. Her mind was no longer clouded by an intense feeling of dizziness, but her stomach still felt like it was willing to try and see if another 'donation' was around, so she didn't move far from the trashcan.

_Why the hell did you do that, it could've killed us. Are you out of your fucking mind?_

**_Hey! I felt that too you know. I didn't trigger that._**

_If you didn't, and I didn't, then what the hell happened?_

It was then that she heard a dripping sound. It wasn't steady, and not constant, but the sound it was making in the pail was enough to get her to look down.

_**BLOOD!**_

Nabiki quickly put her hand to her face, but pulled it back when she felt the source of the dripping blood; her own nose. _Oh no! It started._

_**What started!? What the hell is going on?!**_

_Our countdown. We'll live for a while longer, but we don't nearly have as much time as we thought to merge. _

_**What the hell are you talking about? Make some god-damned sense!**_

_Neither of us caused that. But our body did it. I thought the damn mirror meant we only had to come to an understanding, an agreement. But look at this blood. Our body is rejecting us. We have to merge, and before the day is out._

_**You mean if we don't merge...**_

_Then we don't wake up tomorrow._

Neither Nabiki spoke while the elder one tried to clean up the mess, stop the blood, and get dressed. Her nose finally stopped bleeding after a few minutes, and thankfully it had happened before she had run out of tissues. She then tied up her trash bag, and quickly chucked it out the window to the open trashcan below.

But even she could feel the fear from her younger self. It was so strong; she had to stop dressing several times to calm her down. _It will be OK._

_**OK. OK! You just said we had less than a damn day to merge; which means we cease to exist. Do you know how fucking scared I am right now!**_

_Only half as much as me._

_**What do you mean?**_

_I came all this way to find him, to save him, to save all of them. But after today, it will and it won't be me. And if it goes wrong, I end up being a murderer, because my love caused me to put your life in danger. When you die, it will be with a clear conscious. When I go, I will be taking an innocent life._

**_This is just great, just when I meet a cute guy who likes me with no ulterior motives, I have to die._**

_So you think he's cute._

_**Now is not the time for this.**_

_It's the perfect time for this. Tomorrow we die._

**_Fine then. I think he's cute, OK. He has a nice body, and seems to really enjoy being with use. He doesn't see us as the Ice Queen, and he actually cares about what we think. Are you happy now? I LIKE HIM!_**

It was then that Ranma opened the door, forgetting to knock. "Hey Nabiki, breakfast is..." _Oh SHIT!_

Nabiki turned around, forgetting her conversation, and seeing Ranma's face go completely red from blushing. _Still so innocent. Guess not all of Akane's stories were lies. _"Ranma, thanks for the info, but do you think you could leave so I can finish getting dressed. Unless you want an eyeful of your fiancée?"

Ranma quickly shut the door, and proceeded to pass out. _Nabiki...topless...very nice...going to die soon...die happy._

"I wonder why Nabiki is laughing so hard?" asked Kasumi, hearing her sister bust out laughing louder than she did yesterday in the bathroom.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki and Ranma were walking together to school. As usual from her perspective, he was walking along the fence, trying to not stare at her, while she went along the ground, catching his occasional glances and smiling. This just added to the poor boy's embarrassment, almost causing him to nearly fall into the canal several times. Eventually, Nabiki knew she had to clear the air, but was cut off by Ranma.

"Are you OK, you look a little pale?"

Nabiki forgot how observant he was, as well as how she must look from this morning's dizzy spell. She knew that if she told him she was slightly sick; he would either walk her back home, or watch her like a hawk all day. If she was going to attempt this mental fusion of her two selves, she would need to be alone. "I guess my snack last night didn't sit to well. I woke up this morning with an upset stomach, but I'm fine now Ranma, so don't worry."

"Does this have anything to do with that sickness your family is afraid of?"

_Damn, he really doesn't miss a beat._

_**Tell me you have a cover story for that one.**_

_I do, so relax. The last thing we need right now is to be stressed out. _"It isn't a sickness Ranma; it was; I hope a one time event. It may happen again, but I won't let it control how I plan to live my life, and I will be stronger for it. Please don't ask me anymore about it. It is one of those little secrets we talked about yesterday before your bath. I really trust you Ranma, but I'm afraid I'm not comfortable enough to even trust this secret to Kami. I hope you understand. When I'm ready, I'll tell you all about it."

"Does that mean you'll be OK?" Ranma had hopped off the fence and was standing beside her.

_I guess he's afraid of losing his new friend._

_**That and the fact that other than himself, you are the first girl he has probably seen topless.**_

_We'll have to tease him about that later._

"I won't lie Ranma. I'm bound to have another incident sooner or later, but I will survive. After all, I have a gorgeous fiancée to return for. Besides, I know you like me, or do you pass out for every topless girl you see."

After hearing that, Ranma froze in place, while Nabiki giggled a little. Of course, what always happens to Ranma happens again, the old lady splashes him with water, turning him to a she.

"Damn, it's gonna be one of those days," she says, feeling that the water magnet the curse seems to instill in him/her was once again active.

But before she could get depressed and try to turn around, she felt hot water being poured over her head. He turned to see Nabiki with a small thermos.

"Thought you might need this today. I got a spare." She handed him the empty one. "Fill that up when we get to school; never know when you might need it."

They continued walking, each one enjoying the company of the other.

That is till they entered the yard of Furinken High.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinken High, once again remind you my fellow classmates that no one may ask for the fair hand of the lovely Akane Tendo to date unless they defeat her in honorable combat. Today my brave warriors, you must put your past defeats aside, and strive for the manliness that has allowed me to woe her young heart."

Ranma and Nabiki had arrived in time for Kuno's morning pep talk. Ranma himself found it hard to keep his breakfast down after hearing the idiot speak. Nabiki would have had the same problem; except for she had more 'dire' problems to deal with.

"Remember Ranma; only knock his block off, not the other losers. Akane needs to release some stress once and a while, and she seems to enjoy these morning workouts." Nabiki had told him about Kuno and his proclamation last night while they were practicing. Ranma, in his usual selfless desire to help, had offered to kick all of their asses. But Nabiki asked him to only concentrate on Kuno, the strongest fighter.

"I know, I know. The Blue Blunder is my only target. At least I can see how Akane fights, but from what you said, she wouldn't listen to anything I say anyway."

"You just have to be gentle. Sister dear is really rough, but you can understand why she wasn't too keen on the whole fiancée issue, as well as why she called you the pervert when she walked in on you. Just be gentle with her, and try to teach her. And don't give me that 'I don't hit girls' stuff. Martial artists do not fall onto gender issues. Think of her as any other student, and she'll be OK. If not and she starts to get angry, tell her that I am still keeping score on the photos she owes me."

"Photos?" Ranma had wondered why Akane was worried about Nabiki teaching him. Whatever photos had to do with it, he knew he had better ask Akane after her fight.

"I'll explain after school." With that, she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, and ran off towards class.

This was supposed to be the first bet her crew were doing on their own, and she needed to make certain they did it right. When her talk was finished, she had found out that she had taught them well, and that the odds were set the exact way she would do it. Then they heard the beginning of the morning brawl.

"I HATE BOYS! I HATE BOYS! I HATE BOYS!!!"

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma watched with fascination as Akane began taking on the Pervert Horde as she called them. One by one, each of the athlete and other club members went down. In the short time span of about three minutes, Akane had 'dissuaded' about three dozen would-be suitors. But the fight had taken its toll, as she had used up a large portion of her energy; as well as her anger thankfully, on the Pervert Horde.

"Not bad. I see Nabiki's teachings have really helped you out. If you like, I could show you some things I know, and I promise not to use the methods pops did. No charge, just try and be patient with me. In no time, you'll be downing these wannabes in under half a minute flat, and feel like it was no effort at all."

Akane smiled a little. _Between Nabiki and him, I'll be the best again._

It was then that Ranma caught a red rose that had been sailing towards her. _Shit, not the Shooting Mouth again._ Akane knew it was going to be one of those days.

"Look Akane, someone gave me a rose." Ranma knew where it had come from, but decided he was going to taunt Kuno first. "I must say whoever you are; I'm flattered, but taken." He then proceeded to launch the rose back.

"Foul creature, for what reason do you profane the presence of my beloved Akane Tendo?"

Ranma didn't even try to answer; Nabiki had told him that Kuno wouldn't give him the chance. So he listened as word for word, Kuno repeated the statement that Nabiki had told him. Ranma had to stifle a laugh. _This guy is so full of it, it's a wonder the flies aren't always on him._

As Kuno finished his 'grand' introduction, Ranma decided to follow Nabiki's advice and try what she asked him to say. "I am Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of Anything Goes Martial Arts. I have been sent by the Tendo family to stop these honorless duels and deal out punishment to those involved. And I can see no one more deserving than this wannabe samurai in front of me." As an afterthought, "Besides, do you really think one lousy rose will buy me off?"

Half the school face faulted at that last statement, even Nabiki had to admit it was a nice way to get Kuno angry. Ranma had just accused him of trying to pick up Ranma himself.

"Foul, accursed mongrel. You dare insult the Great Tatewaki Kuno, declared by the gods themselves to be the best warrior on this earth. For this grievance, you will pay dearly."

"I guess the girls were right, you really are too stupid to take no for an answer. Sorry man, I just don't swing that way. And if I did, I could do way better than your delusional ass." Ranma knew he was making the guy furious, and decided to keep pressing him. "Besides, there isn't a girl around saying how manly you are, from what I hear, the only place you have been declared a great warrior is in that empty coconut you call a skull."

He then turned around. "Akane, you like this idiot at all?"

Akane, finally catching on, despite being mad at Ranma for stealing her chance to kick Kuno's ass, she decided she could play along as well. Humiliating Kuno in any form was a fun time she enjoyed. "Nope, the asshole actually believes I will date whoever I defeat. I guess he was too stupid to understand when I said no the first time last year, I MEANT IT FOR EVERY SINGLE SECOND AFTERWARDS UNTIL THIS PLANET IS DUST!!!!!!"

Ranma turned around to see Kuno clenching his teeth. "This fowl usurper has tricked the beautiful Akane Tendo into believing that she does not love me, I, Tatewaki Kuno. For this transgression, you will pay dearly!"

Kuno ran towards Ranma, who stood still until the disillusioned kendoist trust his wooden sword out. Ranma simply kicked the sword free and into the air, followed by several dozen punches to Kuno's body, sending him back into a tree and knocking him out.

Ranma caught the wooden sword as it came back down, and decided to finish the rest of his lines Nabiki had given him. "I have defeated you, you who are without honor. By my words, let these morning fights end, let all who dare continue fear my wrath and that of the Tendo family. I shall keep your 'little' sword as a keepsake, as I do with all dishonored warriors I defeat. Enjoy your nap, Kuno."

Ranma and Akane headed inside, a delirious Nabiki watching from the window. _I am so glad I had the girls videotape that._

**_We should easily sell the copies for at least 2000 yen a piece. Tomorrow if we survive, we should get a better script._**

As if on queue, rain began to fall.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was lunchtime in the school. Ranma had hoped to spend more time getting to know Nabiki, as he really enjoyed being with her last night, aside from the martial arts training. But she had informed him that she needed to finish up a meeting, and she would meet him on the roof after school, to tell him about her 'sickness'. He was disappointed, but said it was OK.

But the roof was where she went. She picked a spot where the shade would stay for the rest of the day, not needing to add severe sunburn to her already precocious list of problems. When she found a suitable spot, she proceeded to sit in the lotus position, and calm her mind.

But she said aloud, hoping that the gods of fate would grant her request. "Ranma, when I wake up, I hope to be able to tell you everything."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was a serene world that both Nabikis found themselves in, not really a solid meadow, but more like a sea of light. The younger Nabiki looked at her older self; noticing that she looked much better than she had in her later memories, probably do to her desire and happiness to finally be near Ranma. **_Not bad, I hope our body still looks like that ten years from now._**

_**So what do we do now?**_

_We hold onto one another, and try to become one. We must each fight for survival, or otherwise what we consider our core could be lost._

_**Do you know what you are doing?**_

_Cologne told me some stories of how some Amazons were so distraught after a battle that their minds fractured. This was a meditation ritual she told me about, that was supposed to make them whole again._

_However, we are not parts of a mind, we are two distinct minds. There is no guarantee that this will work. But the principles are the same. It's our best shot._

_**OK, I'll do what you ask, but if we die, I am so kicking your ass for all of eternity.**_

_**I do wish we could have said goodbye.**_

_I know little sister. But we must do what we can, when we can. If we fail, maybe things will be for the better. After all, the mirror still exists here, and Ranma would always come back to save us. For now, we must simply trust the fates._

_**I'm scared.**_

_So am I, so am I._

The two Nabikis moved towards each other, taking each other into a hug. For a while nothing happened, the two girls who were each Nabiki continued the hug, each one closing their eyes as tightly as possible.

The light around them began to become brighter. Finally, after what seemed an eternity to them, both girls broke apart into millions of glittery pieces, each one a memory, and a representation of a Nabiki. The pieces swirled around, orbiting an unknown center of where the two girls had been.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the real world, Nabiki had shot straight up, her back bending over as far as it could go, her mouth opened in a silent scream, before falling to her side, her legs finally moving out from under her. Her eyes were now closed, a slight foam appearing at the corners of her mouth, and a small flow of blood coming out of her nose, dripping onto the school rooftop.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	8. Who am I?

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 8**

**Who am I?**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. I would also like to personally thank dogbertcarroll for pointing out a stupid mistake I made in chapter 2, which has been corrected.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website #ranma1) where the moves have been listed. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

Also, it may be a while before my next update. I just lost my father yesterday, and need to deal with that first. Thank you for your patience.

Now, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You know I could have just jumped up here to get her, you didn't need to follow me." Ranma looked down the stairs at Akane. She had insisted in following him to meet Nabiki. _What, does she think I'm gonna do something perverted?_

_Of course she does. She walks in on me, both of us without a towel on, and I'm the pervert. She has anger issues out to the moon and back and Nabiki expects me to train her. If she could jump as high as she jumps to conclusions, she would be orbiting the planet._

"I know you can Ranma, but I am worried about my sister. Her friends say she skipped her last classes of the day after lunch; that just isn't like her." Akane feared her sister had had another episode, and was worried she might be severely injured. Nabiki had made her and Kasumi promise not to tell Ranma about her seizure, saying it was a 'once in a lifetime event'. Now, she had disappeared for half a day, after telling Ranma to meet her on the roof after school so she could tell him everything. "When I see that she's OK, I'll leave you two alone to do whatever perverted things you want."

"We are not going to do anything perverted. Not like I would walk in on someone takin' a bath."

"It's different for boys than girls!" Her face was red now, considering he made it sound like she was a pervert.

"Sure, whatever." He opened the door to the roof and stopped.

"Whatever, are you trying to start something?" "Hello?" She was waving her hand in front of him, ready to punch him into orbit, when she noticed how pale he looked. She followed his eyes, and saw something she had never wanted to see.

"NABIKI!" they both yelled.

Nabiki Tendo was laying on the roof, foam on her lips, her eyes closed, and a small pool of blood under her head.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Where am I? What's going on?_

_Calm down, think, what do you remember?_

.........

_I can't remember anything?_

_**Who are you?**_

_I don't know, who are you?_

The voice remained silent. _Listen, if you won't answer my questions than leave me alone._

_**Who are you?**_

_I'm not answering until you do._

_**Who are you?**_

_Listen asshole, I told you I don't know who I am, let alone where I am. Now if you have that info, I would like to here it._

The voice once again remained silent. _Fine then, be that way. Just go and leave me the hell alone._

"Hello, I'm Nabiki, and this is my sister Akane. Would you like to be friends?"

The spirit turned around, and found itself in a dining room. She looked around, trying to get the people's attention, but they just remained still, as if they were manikins. _Why aren't they moving?_

Soon the scene switched again, but everyone was in different places, and one girl had gone from wearing a gi to wearing a kimono. "Hi, I'm Akane; would you like to be my friend?"

_But they just asked that. What's going on?_

_**Two paths are seen, two paths have been taken, and only one path must exist.**_

_Where the hell are you? Leave me alone or tell me straight about what's going on._

**_You are struggling, trying to discern your path. But you are walking two paths. One must be chosen._**

_If you make any less sense, I swear to whatever god or gods you believe in that I will rip you apart._

"Is that so?"

The spirit turned around, and saw two women before it. One was a young girl, possibly a teenager, with short cut brown hair. The other one was almost a mirror image of her, except she was a little taller, and her hair was much longer. _Who are you?_

"We are Nabiki."

_Well, that answers my question. Who am I?_

"You are Nabiki."

_It's gonna be one of those days._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma sat inside the hospital room, holding Nabiki's hand. The machines she was hooked up to hummed loudly, informing everyone that her heart rate and breathing were normal. At least as normal could be for someone who wouldn't wake up.

Nabiki had been brought in yesterday, unconscious and blood still dripping from her nose. Ranma had carried her in, followed a few minutes later by an out-of-breath Akane. The doctor's had spent hours with her, trying to make certain she was going to survive, while Ranma sat in the waiting room. Akane had called the house, and they came over about an hour later. All were there, waiting for news of Nabiki.

Soun Tendo surprised everyone by not crying his famous river of tears. But it was do more to shock than anything else. This had all reminded him of losing his wife. He had found her unconscious as well, and rushed her here. He sat in this very room, while a family friend brought the girls. He had sat with them for hours, waiting for news on his wife, their mother.

The news, when it came, wasn't good.

And now he was reliving those events with Nabiki.

Ranma had taken his place. He was now waiting with his family, waiting for news on someone he cared about. Soun could only hope that things would turn out better for Ranma than they had for him over a decade ago.

But none of the doctors would tell them anything, giving the impression that even they didn't know what was going on with Nabiki. Soun had talked to Dr. Tofu, hoping that the young doctor could get him the information, but even Dr. Tofu was absent. _He must be frantically trying to save my daughter._

But today, today was different. The doctors had informed them that Nabiki had had what appeared to be a massive seizure, and slipped into a coma. No one was certain why she had had a seizure, as all brain scans showed no abnormalities. It was a mystery what had happened to her, as well as why she was in a coma, because her neural activity was almost off the charts.

But Ranma neither understood that nor cared about it. So he sat at her bed every minute, holding her hand, watching her. _She was so nice to me, treated me so kindly. She didn't care about my curse, she didn't care about problems I had relating to people thanks to pops. She accepted me, even tried to teach me. She said as long as I let gender play a role in my martial arts, I will always be defeated. _

_Nabiki, please come back. I just found you, and I don't wanna lose you._

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_OK, let's try this again. I am Nabiki._

"Yes," said the two girls.

_And both of you are Nabiki?_

"Yes," said the two girls.

_Thank you for clearing that up._

The younger one began to speak again. "I am who you were. I am a part of what you may choose to be. You will have to accept that not all was done because it was wanted, but because it was needed."

The older one then began to speak. "I am who you could have become. I am a part of what you may choose to be. You will have to accept that not all was done because it was needed, but because it was wanted."

_So if you two are who I could have become and who I once was, then what am I?_

The two spoke together, their voices in perfect sync and harmony. "You are what may be born. You contain the possibilities of the future with the knowledge of the past. You were born of two minds, each with separate goals and dreams. You must know what has happened, what could happen, and decide if you wish to pursue your happiness."

_What was your happiness?_

The younger one began to speak again. "For me, my happiness was money, at enjoying my life. For me, I could not love because my family needed me to become strong. I needed to have a soul of ice, so that my family would survive."

The older one then began to speak. "For me, happiness was being with someone I loved, who I felt a connection to. I only spent one night with him the way lovers are supposed to, and it has made me stronger. I made my life about being worthy of his happiness, his love. I risked everything that I was to be with him."

_Then what is my happiness?_

The two spoke together, their voices in perfect sync and harmony. "You are what may be born. Your happiness is for you to decide. If it is to be for love, for family, for anything, that will be your choice. You will have the wisdom to make this choice. But you must decide soon."

_Why must I choose soon?_

"Time is running out. If you wait too long, then the choice will be made for you. You will not be able to survive. We have both sacrificed ourselves so that you may live. But you must choose to live, to choose to remember. When you make that decision, we will assist you in all we can. But you must make that choice."

_Am I dying?_

"You must choose to live. Our time will soon end. You have not yet chosen to live. When you do, you will have a body, you will have a life, and you will have an existence."

_But what about you?_

"We will live within you. But only one may truly live, and we find you the most deserving. Of this you have no choice."

_Why do I so deserve to live? I don't know who or what I am. Why should I live and you die?_

"We will not die. We are parts of you. We combined so you may be born. You are the beginning of our life, our hopes and dreams for the future. We are two parts of you, and we believe the whole is worth saving."

_So I am both of you. I am what I was and what I may have been?_

"Yes."

_Then what is my purpose? Why am I here?_

"Your purpose is to live, to become worthy of his love, to become a guardian of your family."

_Who is this he?_

"I am."

The spirit turned around, facing a tall man wearing a red silk Chinese shirt and black pants. _Who are you? Are you another part of me?_

"No, I am a representation of the man both have loved. Both have had feelings for me. The one who could have been used me as a hope to survive, to strive to become better than she had been. The one who once was saw me as an opportunity to love once again, to thaw the ice."

_But what are you to me?_

"That is for you to decide. When you leave here, you will be free to choose me, or choose another. But the choice will be yours to make."

_Will I feel for you what they felt for you?_

"Yes and no. You will know how they felt and why they felt it. Their dreams, desires, thoughts, all that made them unique will be in you as well. After you know of what has transpired, you must either choose to continue your pursuit of me, or choose to follow a different path. In the end, you must decide what you are to do."

_I'm scared._

"That is expected." The dream Ranma walked over to the spirit, its body now a younger version of Nabiki, from the age of seven. "You are not alone, you have people who care for you in the real world, and they will help you."

The dream Ranma bent over the girl, giving her a hug. "I cannot tell you how my real counterpart will react. I cannot tell you if you will win his heart, or if it will be taken by another. But I can tell you he wants you to get better. He has been holding your hand since he found you."

_How do you know?_

"Because you know it."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma had just woken up from his nap, looking to his side to see that Nabiki was still asleep. He went to the restroom, hoping that some more water would keep him awake. He was afraid that if he fell asleep, he would lose her again.

_Why am I so afraid? I hardly know anything about her._

_And yet, she seems to care so much for me. Why?_

He returned to the bed, to see Kasumi standing there, holding a tray of food. "Kasumi, when did you get in?"

"Oh, Ranma, I just arrived a minute ago. I thought you might be hungry, so I brought you some food." She opened the tray, showing him food that would make any person begin to salivate.

Ranma just took it, set it off to one side, and slowly ate it. The exhaustion of the past day had been getting to him. Kasumi knew he had hardly slept since Nabiki had been brought in, and food, for once, was the farthest thing from his mind. _Oh my, I guess Nabiki made a better first impression then I thought. _"Ranma, you can catch some sleep if you want, I'll watch her. It won't do you any good to stay up all the time and pass out before she wakes up."

Ranma was about to argue with her, but knew it would be pointless for some reason. So he finished his meal, and sat once again in the chair. He placed his hand back in Nabiki's, and fell asleep.

Kasumi sat in the chair across from the bed, looking at her sister. _He cares for you little sister. It's not because of maintaining the honor of our families for the marriage. There is something else there that I'm almost certain even he isn't aware of. Maybe you two can solve that together._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Oh no, not again!_

Ranma was in the dream again, a dream that had been haunting him for the past week. It was the same dream, the same flaws, with the same ending. Each time he had had it, he would wake up, covered in sweat, surprised he didn't change to a girl because of the amounts. Before he arrived at the Tendo's, the dreams were beginning to make him fearful of going to sleep.

But his first night at the Tendo's, he didn't have the dream. For him, it was a night of pure joy. He had even woken up early the next morning, before even pops was up to begin his morning training. He felt so alive that morning.

And then Nabiki fell ill.

While they were waiting for the other family members to arrive, Akane had filled him in on what had happened to Nabiki before he had arrived; her mysterious seizure at the top of the list. Akane had even told him that when she was returning from her morning run, she had seen Nabiki throw a bag out her window. The smell was enough to tell Akane that her sister had been sick in the morning.

But now the dream was back.

It was always the same. It looked like an older version of him on a cruising boat, looking at a picture and drinking a bottle of liquor. He would always finish at least one, throw it on the floor, and grab another. The picture looked like a group shot, but all the faces and figures were blurry except for the one of him and pops. Then he would fall to the floor, the half drunken bottle rolling away from him, while he constantly muttered "I'm so sorry" over and over again before passing out.

Then the once blue skies would turn deep gray and black, finally showing the power of a large storm. The waves would toss the boat around, before they began to overwhelm the boat, causing it to sink.

Ranma would always be screaming at the older version to get up, to fight to live, to save himself. But the older version was always to drunk to awaken, until the boat was already sunk, taking the now female Ranma to the bottom of the ocean.

The last thought that the older Ranma had would always be the same. _I'm sorry. I really do love you..._

The dream always played out the same. He never knew who he was sorry to, who he loved, or why he was in such pain. But he always awoke feeling a little different. At first it was just his language skills. Sometimes he would still talk crudely, making it sound like he had no social graces at all. But other times, he would speak as if he had been instructed in such social graces. But then the senses of déjà vu began to occur. It had been strongest before he reached the Tendo Dojo, but as soon as he got there, the sense almost seemed to disappear as if thinks weren't going the way they were supposed to.

_Why is this happening to me? Why is this dream so strong? I'm beginning to fear it more than I do c-c-c-cats._

But he never got his answers. He never even got to the part in his dream where the older version of him passed out. He was woken up by an extreme pressure on his hand. He awoke to see Nabiki having another severe seizure, her hand now crushing his.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Time is now up, you must decide." The two older Nabiki's had returned, while the seven year old one stood beside the dream Ranma.

_But I don't know if I am ready?_

"Time is up, ready or not, you must choose, to live and become something new, or stay as you are, and pass beyond this world, leaving those you care about behind."

The youngest Nabiki turned towards dream Ranma. _What should I do?_

"I can't help in this. He is waiting for you. You must decide now, before you are lost."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ranma and Kasumi were in the hallway now; they had been shoved out there by the doctors who were now trying to save Nabiki's life. Kasumi held onto Ranma, tears falling down her face. Ranma, no longer worried about it being something real men don't do, was crying as well. Both were staring through the window into Nabiki's room.

Kasumi screamed. "OH MY GOD, NO!" Nabiki's heart monitor just showed she had gone to flat-line.

They heard the doctor scream. "Charge to 200, clear!"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I want to live, but I'm scared of losing myself?_

The two Nabiki's were hugging the youngest one now, the same as dream Ranma. All three began to speak. "We will not leave you, but you must choose. Do not fear, for no matter what, we will be by your side."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"One more time, charge to 360, and clear!"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_I choose..._

_I choose..._

_I choose to..._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	9. New Lease on Life

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 9**

**A New Lease on Life**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. I would also like to personally thank dogbertcarroll for pointing out a stupid mistake I made in chapter 2, which has been corrected.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website #ranma1) where the moves have been listed. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

Now, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Inside of a park in Nerima, a girl was being attacked by several boys. To someone looking from the outside, it would have appeared that she was loosing. But the truth was that she was dodging each of their kicks and punches. Each of the guys attacking her was covered in sweat, while she looked as if she hadn't even raised her heartbeat.

"One last time to pay off your debts. We've been at this for ten minutes, and I am beginning to get a little tired of all the playing around." The girl had jumped from the middle of the group to about twenty feet outside of them.

"Never!" came the response of the leader of this group.

_He always was an arrogant little bastard. Let's see him try and blame this on cheating._ The girl ran towards the group at incredible speed, as she came up to the guys, she yelled out "Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken!" Before anyone knew what had happened, the boys laid flat on the ground, each one receiving close to one hundred punches.

"I tried to be nice; I tried to explain that no one gets away with making a bet and not paying. That is the code of honor we all live by, but you idiots thought that since you were supposedly tough, we wouldn't force you to pay. Well, a single woman just kicked each of your asses." She went to each boy, removing his wallet, taking whatever cash they had, and dropping the wallet onto the battered bodies. "This is about 40 of what you owe us. Until you pay us off, or give a reasonable excuse why we don't have the rest, these encounters might continue. You will not be allowed to bet anywhere near Furinkan, or through someone else. If we find out you have forced someone to place a bet for you, this will seem like a slap on the wrist. Once your debt is paid, you will still be banished from placing any bets where we have influence. Try and pick on my group again, I will show no mercy. And I wouldn't tell anyone about this incident. Remember, I have enough on all of you to make certain you never see the light of day again. Do I make myself clear?"

She walked away, not even waiting for a response. They knew she outclassed them, and wouldn't hesitate to bring them more pain if they tried anything.

She thought to herself that just two days ago, she was close to not even being in the picture anymore.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I CHOOSE TO LIVE!" screamed Nabiki, whom the doctors had just declared dead two seconds earlier. She was sitting up in the hospital bed, her shirt around her sides as the doctors had removed it to allow the heart paddles to be applied.

Ranma and Kasumi had been outside the room, looking in at the whole mess. When the doctors had declared Nabiki Tendo dead, both felt their whole world's crash before them. But upon hearing the scream, they looked through the window, to see Nabiki looking straight at them, her lungs desperately trying to refuel her body's supply of oxygen. Seeing her sister and her fiancée at the door, she smiled, waved at them, and fell back onto the bed, her chest still moving to show she was still alive.

In the twenty seconds that this all took place; the doctors had stood by her side; not really knowing what to say or do. When Nabiki lay back down; each immediately snapped out of what they were doing and begun to check her to see if what they just saw really was happening. When the confirmed that she seemed to be OK, they scheduled some tests for later on in the evening to make certain her brain was still in one piece, as well as several blood work-ups.

Her family came in soon after the doctors had left. Her father cried his usual river of tears, chanting about how his daughter was still with him. Kasumi and Akane were both beside her bedside crying, chanting about how they hoped their sister wasn't planning anymore scares for them. Genma stayed quietly in a corner next to Ranma, neither one saying anything. But he did leave with the rest of the family, leaving only Nabiki and Ranma in the room.

"So" he said, "an interesting time you've had to say the least." He was sitting beside her bed, where he had been before she went critical.

"You don't know the half of it." She said, feeling slightly tired from her family's rush of affection.

"Well, if I remember correctly, that was what we were supposed to talk about yesterday on the roof, before this..." Ranma said. He hadn't stopped staring at the floor, trying to force himself to think of every word in detail before saying it to her. The emotions he had felt when she was dead had been almost too powerful to him, almost as strong as the ones he experienced in the dream. He slowly reached his hand onto the bed and took hers, entwining their fingers.

Nabiki was trying to determine what to tell him, more exactly how much she could reveal. But she felt herself wavering until Ranma grabbed her hand, entwining his fingers into her own. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about my sickness when we talked. I was hoping it was a one time thing, and to be honest, I know it won't happen again."

"How?" Ranma asked.

"Because I took care of what was causing it. For the last several days, it has been like I wasn't alone, even in my own thoughts. It felt like I was watching a fight, between who I was and what I wanted to be. The more the two fought, the worse I began to feel. When I was dreaming, they came and talked to me, saying that they were going to sacrifice themselves to save me, so that I might live on. They offered me the choice, do I want to live?"

Ranma smiled a little. "I think the whole hospital knows what your answer was."

Nabiki even giggled at that. "Yeah, I guess they do. It's a little weird. I'm finally alone, my thoughts and actions are my own. I feel like I've just been born."

She began to squeeze Ranma's hand. "And if you think for one moment I'm going to let you go easy on me during our training sessions, you are sadly mistaken."

Ranma's face showed a small amount of pain before Nabiki released her death grip. "OK, but we'll take it easy until the doctors say you are fit to go all out."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Who am I? Am I one of them? Am I both of them? Or am I my own self?_

_What am I to do? Should I follow one path or the other? Whose path is the right one? Or do I have my own path to follow?_

_What do I desire? Do I desire money or happiness? Do I desire love or solitude?_

Nabiki looked over to Ranma, asleep in the chair, his hand still holding hers.

_Do I love him? Yes._

_But why? Do I love him because the one who could be did?_

_No. I love him because I have seen who he could be, who he was. He was someone who did everything he could to maintain his honor, who risked the wraths of multiple fiancées so not one of them would lose honor. Even when he married Akane, the others still had their honor and pride, though each would have gladly given that up to have him._

_I love him because I choose to, not because only a part of me wants to._

Nabiki moved her head to look at the ceiling. _Mother, am I your daughter? If so, please help me! I don't know what to do, how to move forward. _

_Who am I? I am Nabiki Tendo; practitioner of the Anything Goes Style of Martial Arts._

_What am I? I am a young woman, pursuing her own happiness, wanting to ensure that I do not sacrifice myself again to save all._

She looks over to the man she loves, a man who has no idea of his potential, the trouble coming after him, or that the girl next to him has wanted to be with him for over six years.

_Am I manipulating him? Am I lying to him to make him mine? Am I no better than the other fiancées, treating him as a prize to be won, to be fought over?_

_No! It has to be his choice. He must choose me, to love me. I must not force it on him._

_If I do, I am no better than Kodachi, Shampoo, or even Ukyo. I can't make a permanent claim to him, letting jealousy rule me like Akane._

_But if he chooses someone else, could I be happy? Could I live on, knowing that I had to give him up, like the others did when he married Akane?_

_Would it be enough for me to know that he was happy?_

Nabiki began to feel the tears running down her face. _Mom, please let him choose me. Let me be the one destined to be with him._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki walked over to her friends, the group who led the gambling at Furinkan now. "This was all they had," waving their money in her hand. Her friends just stared at her. She had asked them to not make a move to help her, but just to watch.

They had watched all right. They had watched her beat ten of the worst guys to come across Nerima in the last few years. Finally one began to speak. "Uh, thanks boss."

Nabiki handed them the money, trying to appear calm. "Now what did I say about calling me boss? It's just Nabiki. If I'm leaving you guys in charge, you need to start thinking that you are in charge."

She begins to walk away. "If you need me for anything, anything at all, let me know."

_Besides, two days ago, your boss died. I am Nabiki Tendo, but I will live up to the responsibilities of who I once was and who I may have become._

_I do this because I want to, not because I have to._

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki was returning to the dojo. As far as Kasumi and her father knew, she was still in her room, supposedly sleeping, as ordered by her doctors. _What do they know? I was trained by Amazons, lived with about thirty-five years of memories, and spent a grueling day inside my own mind, trying to figure out who I was, what I was, and what I might choose to be._

"You know you should be in bed, they'll be worried about you."

She turned to look at the roof, to catch site of Ranma. "I feel fine, but no one wants to listen to the patient. Isn't there a chance I might know more about my own condition than the doctor?"

"I think those guys in the park might agree with you." He hopped off the roof to meet her on the ground. "But you should still rest."

"I've rested too much as it is. I need to move, I need to live, and I need to enjoy myself." She grabbed his arm and began to drag him down the street. "But I also need to go out on a date with my fiancée, so how about ice cream right now, and then we can head back. I promise if I look tired in the slightest, I will head straight for my room and straight to bed."

Ranma, seeing how little chance he had of getting her to return home right now, decided that for the moment, he would let the patient dictate her treatment.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"WHERE AM I NOW?!"

The lost boy was in a forest, trying to find the path he had started on earlier. But all he could see was the thick foliage. "Damn it! I guess I wondered off the path again. This doesn't look like Tokyo."

He was on a mission. _Ranma, because of you, I've seen hell. First you steal my lunch, then you chicken out on our fight, and finally, to add insult, you get me cursed to turn into a damn pet pig when I chased after your cowardly ass._

"_DAMN YOU RANMA SAOTOME, I WILL GET YOU FOR THE HELL YOU HAVE PUT ME THROUGH!!!"_

_-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

"Achoo!" Ranma, now female so that she could really enjoy the ice cream, had sneezed at lot in the last few minutes.

"I guess someone is talking about you behind your back Ranma." Nabiki laughed a little at this. _I wonder who, is it Shampoo or Ryoga._

"Yeah, I guess so." She looked over at Nabiki. "Nabiki, are you upset I changed into a girl to eat there?"

She looked at him, smiling before grabbing her by the arm and linking them like a couple. "Ranma, if you are more comfortable like that at the ice cream parlor, then by all means do what you feel you need to. I know that no matter if you are in one form or the other, you are still you. It's just harder to flirt with you when you are a girl. Not that I mind the looks on peoples faces when I do it."

Ranma blushed, looking towards the ground. _This girl is weird. She nearly dies, and still all she does is try to make me happy, asking me what I want, what my opinions are. Kinda nice to have someone do that._ "So when do you want to go on another date?" _Smooth idiot._

Nabiki had to smile at the question. _He seems a little more confident with women than he was the last time. Maybe I am making an impression. _"That's up to you Ranma. I know things are a little tight for you right now, so how about this. I make it my treat, plan it, but you set the day."

"Aren't guys supposed to be the ones planning the date?"

Nabiki leaned on Ranma. "I feel like sharing the responsibilities. After all, why should you have all the pressures in the relationship?"

With that, the two walked back to the dojo. Nabiki however was still in thought. _Tomorrow Ryoga shows up. The idiot will be using those ki-tipped bandanas and belt. He only cut Akane's hair the last time. I better be careful. Events are now going to start ending up out of my control._

She started to laugh to herself. _Maybe I should get ready to kick both their asses tomorrow._

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.

**HEADS UP:** I am thinking of posting a One Shot Chapter of nothing but ideas that I came up with that some of you may wish to take on. If anyone is interested, let me know in the reviews. Thanks.

Also, thanks to everyone who wished me support on my father's passing. It was greatly appreciated.


	10. Strength Within Your Soul

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 10**

**Strength Within Your Soul**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website #ranma1) where the moves have been listed. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

Now, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki was in her room, fresh from her bath. Dinner had been finished about three hours ago, followed by a sparring session between her and Ranma. Afterwards, she had spent some time in the bathroom, trying to soak her sore muscles, before finally coming up here. She had laid down on her bed, raising her hands in front of her.

_Damn it! I was hoping after the fusion I would have gotten a little bit stronger, but I didn't think it would be this little. I mean, I mastered the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, which even Ranma hasn't done yet, and I am still only slightly less powerful than Akane, and that's just because she has all of that brute strength. I know I've only been training for a week in this time, but still, you think a little of my training from the future would have carried over. But all I seem to have gotten was the memories, not the talents._

_Ryoga is showing up tomorrow, which means him and Ranma will have their fight. I might be fast enough to avoid those bandanas and hit belt, but I would have to use all of my ki just to lift that damn umbrella of his. I could tell Ranma before the fight that Ryoga has a Jusenkyo curse, but I can't read auras yet as a reason of how I know. Maybe I could accidentally douse the lunatic with cold water._

_I could set him up with Akane, since those two seemed to end up together in the end, but he will still be blaming Ranma for everything, especially if Akane gets as violent with him as she was with Ranma. She certainly had no problems showing her feelings for P-chan. But still, I need to keep both of them occupied, so they can let Ranma be relaxed, at least until I take them to the mountains for training in the Bakusai Tenketsu. I need to keep them as rivals so that they can both get stronger, or otherwise they might get killed against Herb or even Saffron._

_I won't play the part of the helpless damsel like Akane ended up doing, either because she didn't want to be trained, or because Ranma doesn't want to hurt girls._

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Three hours earlier...**

Nabiki had been sparring with Ranma for a little less than three minutes. Even with the help of the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, she still was unable to land a single punch. Instead, the now girl Ranma constantly dodged her attacks, weaving and jumping around Nabiki.

"DAMN IT!" screamed Akane. "How do you plan on training her if you won't fight back?"

Nabiki had recognized this too, and was quite annoyed that Ranma was ignoring her attempts to get better, even if he wasn't mouthing off to her how he was better. "Ranma, can we stop for a minute, I want to show you something."

Ranma relaxed herself. "Um, OK."

Nabiki went behind her, lightly touching a point on her back, causing Ranma to fall to the ground.

"What the hell!? My legs are numb!"

Nabiki walked back in front of the paralyzed girl. "I don't need to be faster than you Ranma, or even stronger, I just need to fight smarter. You left your guard down, and like my sister pointed out, you weren't taking me seriously as a martial artist. All I needed to do was get behind you and hit a shiatsu point on your back, paralyzing your legs."

"But I don't hit girls."

"Why?" Nabiki asked.

"Because I'm supposed to protect the weak."

Nabiki shook her head. "Ranma, I am not weak. I may not be as strong as your guy side, or even as fast as your girl side, but I am far from weak, as some guys found out in the park today. The point is that you claim to be the best, but do nothing to prove it is earned."

Ranma stared up at her, anger in her face. "But I am the best!" Ranma fell backwards as Nabiki sent a punch at her, stopping before she hit Ranma's head.

"Then explain how I, someone not even half as strong or fast as you defeated you just now."

"Because you tricked me."

Nabiki shook her head. "I merely took advantage of an opening, the fact that you didn't take me seriously as a fighter. You think you're the best Ranma, but there will always be someone out there better than you are in one area or another. My sister found out first hand that just because you call yourself the best doesn't make it true, as you did just now. That type of ego will always allow you to be defeated sooner or later."

Nabiki went over to Ranma again, hitting that point and returning the use of Ranma's legs back to her. "A martial artist's first responsibility is to defend the weak, but also to train the defenseless so they may stand on their own. By simply avoiding me, you aren't helping me become stronger, but weaker. If you are half the martial artist you claim to be, you cannot allow such a thing. You don't have to go all out against me, attacking me like a common street brawler, but you still need to help me. Point out what I am doing wrong, giving me a light tap to show me where my holes in my defense are, striking me so that I can toughen myself up so that when a real threat comes against me, I can face it with pride, knowing that I am going to be better for it. Now, shall we try our little sparring session again, or do I need to remind you of your lessons?"

Ranma stood back up, rubbing her head, before rushing Nabiki. The two sparred as before, with the exception that Ranma tapped Nabiki every time she left herself open, followed by a light punch or kick for every fifth opening. Soon, the two fighters were moving faster and faster, Nabiki correcting her attacks while Ranma was upping his speed and power, forcing Nabiki to compensate, to improve. Finally, after ten minutes, Nabiki collapsed to the floor, saying she was too exhausted to continue right now. Ranma helped her to the side of the dojo, where Kasumi handed her some tea. "Thank you Ranma, for taking me seriously and helping me out."

Ranma just scratched her head, somewhat feeling better at the fact he wasn't hitting a girl, but a martial artist. "You're welcome." He turned to face Akane. "Ya wanna try now?"

Nabiki sat and watched as Akane and Ranma now sparred. He wasn't simply dodging and evading like he did their first spar, but was reacting the same as she had done for Nabiki. Nabiki watched as her little sister seemed happy, but saw she was quickly beginning to anger from being unable to land a single hit on Ranma. _Not that I had been able to either. _"Akane, don't let your emotions control you, control them. Don't act like Kuno."

Akane stopped fighting, turning towards her sister to angrily reply to that comment, when Ranma punched her in the stomach, forcing all her air out and bringing Akane to her knees.

Ranma was about to begin apologizing when Nabiki stopped him. "Ranma, she let herself be distracted by her emotions and by me. You have nothing to apologize for. You saw an opening and took it; there is no shame in that. Sister dear, you need to remember to control yourself. Ranma isn't like the pervert horde; she actually cares about you getting better and hates to see you in any pain. If you can't keep your emotions under control, you might end up seriously hurting someone, and I know you don't want that. You want to be the best, but if you allow your anger to keep control over you, then you will always be held back. Now when you get yourself calmed down, we will begin again. Ranma, have a seat and relax. You'll need your energy for your own katas tonight."

So the two rested while Akane fought for both her air and her control. _Damn her and damn Ranma. He is holding back, and he even hit me when I wasn't ready. I should have belted the idiot. Damn it, I am the heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, why the hell is she treating me like some damn first year student?_

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She had sparred with Ranma once again after Akane had lost her temper, before heading to the bathroom to soak her tired muscles. She had spent an hour in the tub before getting out; catching her bruised and tired sister getting ready to go into the bathroom, an expression of anger evident on Akane's face.

_She probably blames me, thinks I am going to try and take the school from her. Not that I would want to, I just want to win Ranma's heart. But if her attitude doesn't change, if it remains like it was the last time, I might just have to. I can't allow her to dishonor the school because of her own delusions. We will not end up like the Kunos._

_Damn it, her attitude will probably end up trying to drive a wedge between me and Ranma, and will lead me to having to choose. _

A knock on her door brought her out of her revelry. "Come in."

She watched as the still female Ranma entered. "Thought I'd check up on ya, see if you're doin' OK."

Nabiki watched as Ranma's face turned bright red. _Of course, I forgot that I'm still basically in a towel._ "Ranma, I'm fine. I know I'm going to be sore as hell tomorrow, but I think I should be OK. Is there anything you want to talk about?"

She noticed Ranma had closed her eyes, seemingly holding her breath in. "Ranma, come inside and close the door, but keep your eyes closed, OK?"

Ranma did as she was told while Nabiki got up and placed on her night clothes. _I should be teasing her more, but oh well. It looks like she needs to talk. I wonder why she didn't change back before coming up her._ "Ok Ranma, you can open your eyes now."

Ranma opened her eyes, seeing Nabiki in a large robe with a blanket wrapped around her. Grateful she wasn't going to be forced to try and maintain a straight line of thought with a nearly naked Nabiki in the room, Ranma released the breath she didn't even know she was holding, before sitting on the ground. "Nabiki, why is your sister so mad at me? I mean, I took her seriously in that spar, but she acts like I'm still playin' with her."

Nabiki frowned a little. "She still wants to think she's the best, even when I pointed out that Kuno was holding back last week. To tell the truth, I know she is angry at boys for the morning fights she had to endure since Kuno made that stupid announcement last year. I myself am partly to blame for that, as I did nothing to stop it until you came along, even though I could have threatened enough boys to leave her alone." _I wonder if I had asked to come back before that event, if maybe my sister could have become a better person. _"But what has happened can't be undone." _Though I myself am proving that wrong._

"There's more to it than that." Ranma looked at her quickly before returning her gaze to the floor. "She isn't just mad at me for being a boy, she's mad at me for being better than she is, and I'm helpin' her too."

Nabiki shook her head. "My sister isn't quite as logical as we would all like her to be. She always wanted to be like our father and mother. She wanted to be the best in whatever she did. But losing our mother caused her to lose interest in feminine things, and as our father drifted away, she lost the use of the art as a way to deal with things. She has been practicing the same moves we all learned for the last ten years. I guess part of her feels like our father abandoned her when she needed him the most, the truth is we all feel that way a little. Over the years, I guess the rage just built up. I know it's still no excuse for how she treats you sometimes, but I have been trying to help her with the art, with her own issues. But I feel she is beginning to resent me for my knowledge and renewed interest in the art, seeing it as a challenge to her becoming the best."

Ranma shook her head as well. "Too bad, she's got some potential. She's just too mad to use it right."

Nabiki was forced to agree. In the original time line, Akane had the potential to keep up with Ranma or Ryoga, but her anger and Ranma's refusal to teach her, believing that the only way to teach was the same, sadistic way his father had taught him, had lead to her barely tapping into her potential.

Now, in this timeline, Akane's anger was her only real obstacle. When Nabiki had agreed to teach her those moves, she had hoped her sister would use this opportunity to grow. With Ranma's help, she felt assured that Akane would become such a powerful martial artist that no evil creature or Kuno would be able to stop her. But now she saw her sister's temper not only directed at anything with a penis, but her own sister as well. Nabiki had tried both positive and negative reinforcement of Akane's need to keep herself in check, but still her sister was acting more like a spoiled princess rather than a mature, responsible adult, and Nabiki was afraid it would take her seriously hurting someone before she would gain control of herself.

"Ranma, I'm sure between the two of us, we can get her to make herself better, make herself stop being angry at everyone and everything that doesn't fit her world. Please don't give up on her."

"Ok Nabiki, I'll try."

Nabiki quickly went over to Ranma, dragging her into a tight hug, before pulling back and giving Ranma a quick kiss on the lips. "Thank you, that's all I could ask for. But you better go get cleaned up yourself and get to bed, we both have classes tomorrow. But make certain no one is in the bathroom before going in, and make certain the sign is out."

Ranma simply nodded before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it. _She kissed me, I'm a girl now and she kissed me! She accepts me for my curse, and she kissed me!_ Ranma made her way to the bathroom, smiling and holding her hand against her lips, still enjoying the memory of her first kiss. _Man, I'm lucky to end up with a girl like Nabiki for a fiancée. My luck, I figured I would've ended up with Akane._ Ranma shivered for a little bit, dropping her hands to her side. After knocking for several minutes, she entered the bathroom and soaked, turning back into a guy.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki made her way down to breakfast, her muscles still crying out for more rest, more sleep, more time to recuperate, but she had gotten in her desired eight hours, and in the end, she needed to be at school on-time. She came into the dining area, to her left; her sister was busy making the final touches to her usual delicious breakfasts, reminding Nabiki she would have to talk to her contacts at some of the medical colleges about getting Kasumi admitted. _You won't waste your life here forever dear sister, I owe you that much for raising me._

She looked ahead to her father, reading the paper with his coffee in front of him. _Dad, I know you care for us, but you still need to grow up. I know you and Genma are trying to come up with some ideas to hurry up the marriage between Ranma and myself, though I doubt you're doing it because Genma has told you about Ranma's other fiancées. Come to think of it, you only slightly yelled at Genma when they arrived, like you didn't care as long as Ranma married Akane. Do you really care so little about us that you would allow that panda's dishonor to fall on us, fall on Ranma? Then again, you never worried about the fact that Happosai groped us. Maybe you really died as well as mom, and I am just now starting to see that._

Then she turned to look outside, watching as Genma and Ranma had their usual morning spar. She watched as the two went all out, trying to knock the other one senseless, with the exception of Genma trying to knock Ranma into the coi pond so he could call him a weak girl. When he eventually did, Nabiki ran out to Genma, striking him with the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken and sending him into the wall, creating several spider cracks. "Well this weak little girl just sent you flying into a wall, so what weak little creature does that make you?"

She didn't get to hear his answer, as Ranma splashed him with a bucket of pond water. "Don't bother answerin' pops, everyone knows pandas are too stupid ta answer."

The two went inside and sat at the table together Kasumi pouring a cup of hot water over Ranma to revert him back into a guy. Genma followed in a few minutes, taking the tea kettle offered by Kasumi and pouring the boiling water over himself. "Miss Tendo, you should not interfere in our morning spars, you might end up hurt."

She just shook her head. "Mr. Saotome, sometimes I get the feeling that you'd rather be bounding around town, grabbing women's underwear chanting about collecting your lovelies."

She laughed as her father choked on his coffee while Genma's face went completely white at a seemingly perfect description of Happosai. Her revelry was cut short as Kasumi came in with breakfast, followed by a sweaty Akane who had just returned from her morning jog. Kasumi had asked her what was so funny, but she merely said it was the reactions of their fathers, and that maybe they would like to explain why her comment was taken so funnily. Both men said it was nothing, and they continued to eat breakfast. Nabiki, who sat between Ranma and his father, pulled out a knife and imbedded it into the table between Genma and herself, having seen the man's hands inch closer to her own plate. "Mr. Saotome, Ranma mentioned some of the speed training you two did while eating, and I do hope you do not plan to continue it here, we eat in a civilized manner, with more than enough for everyone here, unless of course you enjoy trying to steal food away from people sitting next to you."

"Of course not," said Genma, upset that she had not only stopped him from trying to steal some of her food, but also from trying to steal Ranma's for the rest of their stay. "The boy should merely keep up his practice, or he might get rusty."

"Then maybe you should be eating instead of paying attention to me, it appears my father has just proven his speed with your plate."

Genma looked down at his bare plate, noticing that Soun had cleaned it off while he wasn't looking. As he was asking Kasumi for more food, the kids had managed to finish their meals and headed upstairs to get ready for school, only one of them knowing what was supposed to happen at lunch today, with still no idea how she could keep it from becoming a powder keg like it had last time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	11. Arrival of the Lost Boy

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 11**

**Arrival of the Lost Boy**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website #ranma1) where the moves have been listed. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

Now, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fate or free will?

The fact that any single decision can affect the lives of all those around you are a difficult decision for any person to understand, but proves the validity of free will. The knowledge that if you do nothing; events will play out a certain way is comforting, but destroys the illusion of free will. But to know you can change the events you took for granted; your very desire to make things better can make them much worse.

_But that is what I am trying to do, alter the past for the hopes of a better future._

_I do not want my sister Kasumi to wither away inside the kitchen for the rest of her life, condemned to being a housewife since the age of nine. She deserves to go to college, to grow into a beautiful woman, to live the life she would have had our mom not been taken from us by the hand of fate. I could have understood our father being the way he was for a year or so after mom died, we all took her loss with great sadness. But he simply gave up on life. It was because of me and Kasumi that we didn't starve, that we still had a roof over our heads. We both ended up doing things neither of us were ready for or wanted to do, but we did it to save what was left of our family._

_My sister would live freely, even if I had to use the threat of Akane cooking for the rest of his life to get him to let her go to college, to be a free spirit again like she once was._

_I do not want my sister Akane to end up like she was either. She had won a man many had dreamed of making their own, someone who had killed a god just to save her own life. But her anger, her inability to grow cost her everything. She lost that man, preferring to be with his rival, addicted to the jealousy she invoked in both, but hated to feel when others wanted her man. She had grown addicted to the anger, the jealousy. Maybe that's why she lost Ranma. I just hope I can make her a better person, not like the bitch I saw her become._

_My father, my father was a man who probably died the same day our mother did. I remember watching him and the fat panda making their plans to get Akane and Ranma hitched as soon as possible, like if they were together for too long, they might not want to spend the rest of their lives together. He became a selfish man, more interested in his own imaginary life than what he was leading, an empty shell of the man I remember growing up, who took his pride from the happiness of both his students and his family. I often wished we had that man back as I was forced to do more and more things to keep our family afloat, while he just sat there acting without a care in the world. Maybe I could get him back as well; maybe I could get the man who made me proud to be a Tendo._

_I don't really give a damn about Happosai or Mr. Saotome. They could burn in hell for all I care, forever being chased by Auntie Nodoka and her honor blade._

_But Ranma, Ranma deserves the most help I can give. The first time I saw him, he was a she. And when the curse was explained, my own fears got the better of me. Despite what he thought, it hurt me a little to use him the way I did. The Ice Queen of Furinkan High did have a heart. I tried to help him and my sister get together, even sabotaged the wedding in hopes that they would bond over it. But when my sister cheated on him with Ryoga, I refused to help her anymore. Ranma deserved better than that, and for a while after he disappeared, I knew he deserved better than me. So I trained hard, hoping that if he ever returned, it would give us something in common, prove that not just Kasumi could be there for him. _

_But he never returned, was never found, so eventually, I began to lose hope as well._

_But not this time. This time Ranma would not have to carry the heavy burden my family and his father placed on him on his own. I know eventually I would have to talk to Auntie Nodoka and try and show her that even with the curse, Ranma was still a man among men, a person any mother should be glad to call son, even if I had to tell her I was pregnant to stop her from trying to enforce that damn agreement on him. After all, even when he is in his cursed form, he is still more of a man than his own father. That I know is what hurt him the most, I myself never knew what she would have done to him if he hadn't waited to tell her after the wedding. He deserves to know his mother without the threat of his own death hanging above him._

_I can at least give him that, even if I can't keep all the fiancées away._

_Even if in the end, I can't have him._

_I owe him nothing less._

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio walked towards the school. Ranma was walking along the fence, his hands behind his head with his eyes cast upwards towards the sky. Nabiki was beside him walking along the ground, her eyes looking upwards as well, but her hands were behind her back. Akane was beside her, constantly shifting her gaze between the path in front of them and the couple beside her.

_What is it with these two? First my sister starts back into martial arts, showing me moves I've never heard of before, treating me like a damn novice, telling me how to improve, ME! Then that damn pervert shows up, and she immediately flips for him, defending him after he saw me naked in the bathroom._

**_You did walk in on him and he did help stop those fights. Thanks to him, Kuno is putting almost all of his attention on Ranma rather than you._**

_He shouldn't have been in there. _

_**You weren't too upset at the time. You even played along with their little plan. Now why are you mad?**_

_Because I could still have beat them._

Akane turned once again to stare at the couple. _Those two have become so lovey-dovey the last few days it's almost sickening. She puts on this whole act, trying to convince him that she is this caring, kind girl who cares about him, when she spent the last ten years being the mercenary girl. What's up with that?_

**_She told us she wants to grow, wants to be like she was. We were once happy like that as well. Besides, she's happy, why are you upset with that?_**

Akane shook her head quickly, hating the fact that ever since Nabiki had been helping her through her anger, and now she was ending up fighting herself in her own thoughts. She knew that this Ranma had helped her, but those fights had been her's to stop. He wasn't taking her seriously in her fights, he was always holding back, and had tricked Nabiki into believing that he respected her as a martial artist.

And Nabiki, she had totally changed. A few weeks ago, she thought of nothing more than simply reading some mangas and running her betting pools. Then she had this sudden urge to become a martial artist, showing moves and katas like she had been practicing all her life. Then this mysterious illness creeps up on them all, reminding the family of how their mother was taken from them. Now she's acting like she isn't even worried about it anymore, and Ranma just stands off to the side, not trying to keep her in her bed resting, not trying to keep her from exerting herself, just letting her go off and do what she wants to.

And he is supposed to marry her. For Akane, she doubted that the pervert even cared for her sister.

Even if he did carry her all the way to the hospital.

Even if he did stay beside her bed throughout her coma.

Even if he did care for her with all his heart.

He still isn't right for her.

And the sooner she realized that, the better off she would be.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki sat in the classroom for the last few hours, finding it impossible to listen to the teacher. Her mind was a constant buzz, going over possibilities in her head.

_Ryoga is supposed to show up at lunch time, followed by that fight. Ranma runs off to get the bread, thinking it's all about a bread feud, not knowing Ryoga is pissed because he never got to fight Ranma and is now cursed to be P-chan. During that second fight, Ranma changes to his girl form and Akane, in her infinite anger, interferes and loses her hair._

_There is no way I'm strong enough to take Ryoga out before he gets here, and even if I could, I am eating lunch with Ranma. He seems to be afraid that if I disappear, he'll find me passed out again from a seizure._

_Well, it's not like I can tell him the real reason I had passed out then, let alone why I know I won't be having them again._

_Back to the fight, it will have to happen. I have a couple thermoses of hot water for when Ranma changes. With my speed training in the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken, I might be able to avoid or even catch those damn bandanas and even that weird belt. The umbrella is out of the question, blocking that in my current state would easily break something, and I do not want to end up in the hospital, especially with Shampoo coming, Kodachi bound to make her appearance, that weird food delivery bride who should be here in another two weeks, and if I am lucky, be out of the cast just as Ukyo shows up. That doesn't even include the other dozen assholes that'll be coming to challenge Ranma, the dojo, or deal with Genma stealing from them._

_OK, I can try and get Ryoga to see he is to blame for his own mistakes. I mean, he set up the match and knowing his own curse leaves for it the moment it is to begin. Not very bright of the pig-boy. I could make a comment that when I look at him, I seem to keep getting the image of a small black pig, which should confuse him a little, but will probably just enrage him more at Ranma and put more people at risk. That's the last thing we need. He would just blame any injuries to civilians on Ranma for not standing still._

_OK, so I let Ranma fight him, keep some cold water handy if he gets out of hand, and try to keep people from getting hurt. Akane will undoubtedly try to step in, thinking herself the best to stop those two, blaming Ranma for starting a fight he had nothing to do with, since Ryoga doesn't know those two who knocked him into the spring were actually Ranma and Genma. Maybe I should let her get injured just to teach her to control herself._

_But she is too much like Ryoga: all temper, everything wrong with their lives is someone else's fault, jumping to conclusions faster than the speed of light, and the other is always innocent from doing anything wrong. If the little jackass makes it inside the house this time, I have to remember to spill some tea or cold water on his ass, depending on his form and make certain Akane is nearby to see her pure P-chan or friend Ryoga turn, since there is no waterproof soap._

_I really hope both of them can control themselves and learn not to be so angry._

As the bell rang signaling the end of the class period, she went to grab her lunch and hurried downstairs. Ryoga would be here soon.

The time for thinking was over.

The time for fighting was now at hand.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The trio; Akane, Ranma, and Nabiki, sat under a tree in the schoolyard, eating their lunches. Ranma was eating much slower than he normally does, as was so with Akane. They kept placing glances towards Nabiki, who was eating even slower than they were, her eyes constantly scanning the yard for Ryoga.

_Where is the little bastard, he should be here by now!_

_Calm down, this isn't the same Ryoga. You learned to stop treating Akane like you did her future self, you have to do the same for Ryoga, even if he is a pompous, disgusting, perverted…_

"NABIKI!!!"

She stopped her musings and raised her head towards her lunch mates. "Sorry, I was busy with my thoughts. What's up?"

"Sis, why are you so nervous? You act like you're waiting for someone to jump out at you?"

"Yeah Nabiki, are you feelin' OK? Is someone out ta getcha?"

She smiled at their worries. _I got to remember to calm down; otherwise they'll wonder how I knew…_

"RANMA SAOTOME, PREPARE TO DIE!"

_Oh great! Now the idiot shows up!_

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nabiki stood by the sidelines. She had watched as Ranma and Ryoga talked, watched while Ranma ran off and got Ryoga some bread, each one exactly what he beat Ryoga out of. Then he finally mentioned the dual. She couldn't hold in her anger anymore. _This guy is blaming Ranma for everything! How much I'd like to make a eunuch out of his pig ass! _"So let me get this straight. You made the time and date for the dual, and even knowing how bad your lack of direction was, you left only a minute before the dual, and expected Ranma to wait forever without food or water for you to show up to the lot behind your house. How the hell is that his fault?"

Ryoga looked at her, a little stunned. "It is his fault, he ran away and because of him, I've seen hell."

Nabiki just stared him down, anger growing in her eyes; she was forcing herself not to start punching the Jusenkyo pig with everything she had, not caring if she made him any dumber. _Not that such a thing is possible in his case. _"It is not his fault you missed your own damn dual! And from what I've heard about your sense of direction, I believe you may have seen hell. Tell me, are the demons really all walking around with tridents in their hands, or was it snowing when you finally arrived?"

Ranma and Akane both started laughing at that joke, each one forgetting momentarily how angry Nabiki had looked a few seconds ago.

Ryoga was just getting more upset. _I know this is all Ranma's fault. I can't tell them about the curse, they'd just laugh at me. Enough of this! _"Saotome, I challenge you to a dual, right here, right now. Do you accept?"

Ranma's answer was easy to see. He hopped back from the group and assumed his fighting stance. But before anything could begin, Nabiki called a halt to the fight.

She turned towards Ryoga. "Disarm now! He is fighting you with bare hands, you should do the same. After all, there are too many people around here who could get hurt if you do otherwise. Unless of course, you are so unsure of your own skill you need such things?"

Ryoga grumbled as he removed all of his bandanas and his belt, throwing them against his backpack. Ranma was beginning to get worried. At first, it had appeared that Nabiki was simply trying to make the guy understand that this wasn't Ranma's fault. But as the discussion went on, it became clear that she was trying to taunt Ryoga into a fight. Though his sparring with her, he knew she was in no shape to take on Ryoga, assuming his skills were still close to Ranma's. But for some reason, she appeared to have a deep hatred for the Eternally Lost Boy.

When Ryoga had finally removed the last of his hidden weapons, the fight began. Nabiki watched as the two fighters squared off, each one trying to find a weakness in the other. She noticed that Ranma's cockiness was a weakness he hadn't gotten over yet. _I guess you need your ass kicked with little effort to begin to get over that. _ Ryoga still had openings, though she knew she was nowhere near fast enough to take advantage of them. To him, it would look like she was telegraphing her hits.

So she just stood there with Akane, between the fight and Ryoga's backpack. She knew if he got angry enough, he wouldn't care about the rules and come after them to get to use on Ranma. She was hoping that standing between them would make him think twice about trying to use his weapons. _He has a weird, deformed sense of honor, like Kuno. But he sticks to it, no matter what._

_Still doesn't mean I won't expose his weakness in a second; especially when and if he shows up tonight to attack Ranma._

The fight continued on past the lunch bell, but the student would not leave watching this fight nor would the teachers try and break it up. So the fight continued, well past the point it had original gone. Nabiki knew the bests would have been great; her crew would make a ton of money, as a draw was not a likely outcome, the students would all bet on Ranma, seeing how he always took out Kuno with no effort. The last time, the students had all placed their money on Ranma. Now, an easy victory for Ranma was out of the question, and judging by the looks on her former crew's face, it looked like they would clean up.

Finally the two landed a solid punch to the other's face, sending them both flying away. Ranma landed against the school wall while Ryoga landed in a fountain. Nabiki looked over to the fountain for a second before she began to whisper to her sister. "I think you need to go over there and get that black little pig from the fountain." _This ought to go better than I thought._

"Why?" her sister asked, not knowing how her sister saw anything near the fountain.

"Because I think I figured out why Ryoga kept insisting he saw hell." With that, she made her way over to Ranma to see if he was OK while Akane made her way to the fountain, finally seeing the little piglet but not really understanding why her sister said what she did.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.

By the way, if you need any help with your stories or would like a fresh idea on what to write about for Ranma or Love Hina, let me know. I would be glad to help in any way I can.


	12. Perception

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 12**

**Perception**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First off, I am sorry this chapter took so long; I was constantly adjusting it, trying to bring in more detail and believability in Nabiki's desires to make Ranma's life better.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000 words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website (www wot-club org.uk/RanmaFAQ/arts/special.html#ranma1) where the moves have been listed. Just replace the spaceswith /. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

BTW: To those who think Nabiki is OOC, remember, this Nabiki is older. She was in her thirties before she was sent back in time. She spent four years at college, at least six years married to her gay husband, followed by five years since her divorce and a little more than that since her night with Ranma. This means that Ranma and Akane were married for a little over five years before Ranma caught Akane with Ryoga. It also gives her plenty of time training with Cologne, as well as after her divorce, until the depression at her life curtailed those activities.

If you believe Ranma is OOC, remember those dreams he had been having before he met Nabiki as well as when he was in the hospital watching her. They are a clue as to what has happened to his future self, but will be discussed in more detail later on. After all, how would you react to having dreams of yourself dying before your very eyes, over and over again?

If you think Akane is also to OOC, remember she didn't have to deal with Ranma, so she has seen no positive male influences, other than him taking on Kuno (which she originally told him was none of his business, and never could come to terms with the fact that Kuno never used his full strength against her), as well as was shown in the series to desire quick power boosts and skills without the necessary work (Super Soba as an example). Despite the fact that she was obviously outclassed by the NWC and her instant temper, she always thought of herself as the best martial artist out there, blaming it on cheaters and nobody fighting her seriously as to her losses and lack of skills, rather than she rarely trains and doesn't bother to learn anything new. Even computer fighters adapt so as to provide a challenge. She in my opinion, never even tried to adapt. When she witnessed Ranma training, did she ever try and copy it, did she ever ask to be part of it. No, she merely sat back and watched. After all, why should Ranma want to train her, so she can hit him harder!?

It may sound like I hate the Akane character, and in a way I suppose I do. She was a violent girl who was abusive, something I have seen in my life and hate. Her few good points never outweighed her bad points in my opinion, which is why I tend to drift towards other pairings. I never really saw Akane grow as a character, she never learned from her mistakes, kept repeating them, and expected the world to confirm to her will. I think the only time I have witnessed her treat anyone with kindness for no reason was Shinnosuke after he and his grandfather got sick from eating her cooking in Ryugenzawa. Perhaps if she had grown more in the series, I would have a softer spot for her, but even I tired of seeing how little respect and trust she showed Ranma. She was even too uncomfortable with herself, even when she was alone thinking of Ranma.

Now, on with the show.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_From the mental notes of Nabiki Tendo…_

It is never easy to see our own faults. We often prefer to blame others for our own shortcomings. If we do poorly at work, it is the boss's fault for being a hard ass and insisting on such unreasonable standards. If we fail a class, it is because a teacher is incapable of teaching it correctly; an excuse that is only true 10 of the time.

Then we run across those who have nothing but anger in their lives. These are people who are never at fault, who never see the world for what it truly is, who constantly delude themselves into believing that they are perfect. If they lose, it is only because their opponent cheated. If they missed a duel, it is because the opponent chickened out after waiting for them to arrive. If the opponents are better at anything or if the person fails at something, then it is the other person's fault because obviously they cheated because that is the only way they could have beaten them.

Ryoga and Akane are two such people.

For Akane, if Ranma couldn't eat her food, he was making fun of her, even though she would flat out refuse to taste it or even eat it herself, a fact that often made me wonder if she really was trying to kill him (this food has been known in fact to wonder over to Juuban and attack on occasions, luckily I don't believe it ever killed one of the Sailor Senshi, but for years afterwards when I watched the news, I often wondered if that monster they defeated had been dinner days before at the Tendo Dojo). If Ranma easily won a fight she would have had a tough time winning, well then he did it by cheating, because after all, Akane Tendo is really the best martial artist in the world, not Ranma Saotome. If she never got any better, it wasn't because she was only breaking bricks and practicing the same moves for the last decade instead of demanding her father teach her, it was because Ranma would never take her seriously. If Ranma was nice to other girls, it wasn't her fault for constantly hitting him, treating him like a freak, as well as calling him that, it was because Ranma must be a pervert and trying to have his way with these girls, despite the fact they were throwing themselves at him, and Akane Tendo must protect the world from the pervert Ranma Saotome

For Ryoga, it wasn't his fault that Ranma was a better martial artist and that was why he got the last loaf of bread, though it was first come first serve; it was because Ranma was a loud-mouthed bully who always took what he wanted. It wasn't Ryoga's fault he was late for a duel and missed Ranma, it was Ranma's fault for not waiting there for four days for Ryoga to get to a lot behind his own house, despite the fact that Ryoga knew of his bad sense of direction and still left his house only a moment before the duel was supposed to start. If Akane is sad, it isn't her fault she did something stupid, it is Ranma's fault for not knowing whatever dark thought crosses Akane's mind, and bowing immediately to worship her. It isn't Ryoga's fault for getting cursed, for falling into Jusenkyo; it was Ranma's fault, even though it was a panda that knocked him off the cliff and a red-haired girl who tried to push him back towards it. It isn't even Ryoga's fault that he calls Ranma honorless because he doesn't choose Akane and tell the others when Ryoga himself endangers anyone nearby who is hurt during one of his fights, or when he uses his curse to sleep in Akane's bed.

No, it is never their fault.

It is always Ranma's fault. It is Ranma's fault if the food tastes bad, if Shampoo or Ukyo offer him food or touch him or talk to him. It is Ranma's fault that Akane never treats him nice, that Ryoga is always fighting him, that P-chan hates him, that Ryoga was never man enough to confess his feelings to Akane.

To those two, it will always be Ranma's fault, even if he was nowhere near it or had no direct or indirect involvement with it.

It is no better with Soun Tendo and Genma Saotome. These are two people who claim the merits of honor, demanding that Ranma must marry a Tendo, but carefully neglecting the fact that Genma engaged him to nearly fifty women, and after careful research, three men after Jusenkyo. These men spout honor and dedication to the art. It is in my opinion a laugh, as they have shown no such dedication unless it got them something. Soun Tendo preaches it, but it didn't stop him from ignoring his daughters for ten years, forcing them to grow up without him, while the older two sold their dreams and futures to save their family. Genma speaks of honor, but runs away from it unless it is a better deal for him. One only needs to look at Ukyo and Kaori to find out such truths.

Those two would lock Ranma permanently as a girl and serve him to Happosai wearing a see-thru negligee if their horny little master would ask them to, saying it was a sacrifice for the art and he/she should be proud to do so.

It often makes me wonder if they would do the same to me or any of my sisters.

If it wasn't for my sister Kasumi, I would have grabbed Ranma the first night he came here, ran away, and never looked back, let those four forever deal with their own actions, their own consequences they seem to desire to thrust upon us, claiming we should do so because of honor.

Neither one of them know a damn thing about honor.

Did honor prevent my sister from constantly beating on Ranma, after promising her eldest sister she wouldn't hurt him anymore?

Did honor prevent Ryoga from attacking Ranma at any opportunity, no matter who got hurt or was in the way, or even from sleeping in my sister's bed, even when she was married?

Did honor prevent Genma from making tons of proposals and selling Ranma like a commodity, simply to feed his belly with food and saké while Ranma starved and shivered?

Did honor prevent my father from selling his girls out for the art; from letting a perverted master reside in the dojo, from allowing him to steal my underwear and grope me at any opportunity?

No. These people claim high principles and practice none in the real world. They make me sick. If I could, I would have Kasumi married to Tofu tomorrow, as I know their marriage worked out for the best. I would take Ranma away and leave these poor excuses for humans to wallow in their own affairs. I would gladly spend the rest of my life on the road with this man, if it meant he would be happy.

I know I would.

But even I can't do that yet. I am the only one who knows what potential fates await them.

So I wait, I try to enlighten these souls, to get them to wake up and accept the truth.

May the Kamis have mercy upon their souls if they don't accept it!

Because the Kamis know I certainly won't.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The four of them sat at the dining room table. Ryoga, now once again a human, sat in his clothes, casting death glares at Ranma, having just finished explaining the bread feud, the duel behind his house, and how he came about the curse. Akane sat on the other side across from him, wondering why they had all come back here, as she didn't want her home destroyed. Ranma and Nabiki were at the other side of the table between the two. Kasumi was in the kitchen preparing lunch, while the fathers were out buying saké.

"So man, what the hell were you doing at Jusenkyo?" Ranma, in his current tactless nature, asked the question only Nabiki knew the answer to, but was holding it.

"I was tracking down your worthless ass after you didn't show up for our duel." Ryoga had the same smug look of self righteousness that Nabiki hated, one she knew too well from her days as the Ice Queen.

"Correct me if I am wrong Mr. Hibiki," asked Nabiki, deciding she was tired of people like that, tired of the self delusion he kept placing before himself and others, trying to appear the victim, never the attacker, as well as quickly losing patience that this Ryoga was worth saving, "but you knew your curse of direction, why didn't you get someone to take you to the duel to make certain you made it on time?"

"I offered, but he told me he didn't need my damn help to find his own backyard." Ranma interjected the fact, surprising Nabiki, who never knew Ranma had offered to take him to the duel.

"I didn't need his damn help!" cried Ryoga.

"I'd say being four days late for your own duel contradicts that." Nabiki's patience for the Lost Boy was quickly fading, dreams of using the locking ladle on him and dropping him off to get 'fixed' were starting to fill her head, maybe selling Genma to a zoo would also ease the stresses in Ranma's and her lives. "That means in no uncertain terms you forfeited, even if Ranma's father hadn't knocked him out and dragged him to China. So once again, why were you in China chasing Ranma?"

Ryoga was getting pissed. First this girl stops his fight with Ranma letting her, and tells him to drop his weapons. Now, she was saying he had no reason to be in China chasing Ranma. "It was a duel between men; you wouldn't know anything about it."

Everyone was then surprised when Nabiki grabbed three of his bandanas off the table and flicked them into the wall, using his belt to cut the rest. "A duel between men as you put it, means taking pains to ensure that only the participants are injured, not those who have no direct participation in it. These weapons of your clearly can do such things if they miss the target. You better not have been planning to use these during your fight with my fiancée today! Do you have any idea what these could have done to an innocent student?"

Ryoga simply shrugged his shoulders. "They shouldn't have been there. If they got hurt, it would have been their own fault for being too close to our duel."

Akane, who had stayed silent at this time, noticed that Nabiki was producing a red battle aura, and from what she remembered from her father's teachings, as well as what Nabiki had filled her in on, this meant she was extremely pissed. "Fine then, if that's the way you feel, then you have no reason to blame Ranma for your curse, as your story says that you got between a fight between a red-haired girl and a panda, and it appears the red-head actually tried to shove you back towards the cliff the panda knocked you off from, so your curse in reality is the panda's fault; not Ranma's or that of the red-headed girl. So that makes one forfeited duel your fault, as well as your being cursed your fault by your own warped rules of combat. So you really have no reason to be upset with Ranma."

"NO! Ranma; you honorless coward, why are you hiding behind a girl?!" Ryoga felt justification only for a fraction of a second.

That was the time it took for Nabiki to deliver a vicious right jab to his face, knocking him on his ass. "You are the only one who has been acting dishonorably. You attacked Ranma at school without a challenge letter, you were willing to use weapons that could kill innocent bystanders in a crowded situation, and now you insult his honor by saying that simply because I am pointing out your own mistakes, that he is hiding behind me! Now you will apologize before I call your family and inform them of how much of an honor-less ronin their son wants to be!"

That alone seemed to snap Ryoga out of his anger. _Is she right; is none of this Ranma's fault?_ Ryoga kept thinking about this as Kasumi brought in lunch and tea, asking about why three bandanas were hanging out of the wall, before she went back into the kitchen.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A few hours later, Ranma and Nabiki had gone to the dojo to spar and train, Akane had gone into her room to study, while Ryoga was in the kitchen now talking to Kasumi as she prepared dinner for the group.

"Nabiki, I don't need you to fight my battles for me. I could've beaten Ryoga without your help, even with his weapons."

_Still as cocky as my memories say he was. _"Ranma, Ryoga wouldn't have cared who he hurt in that fight: you, me, Akane, or any one of those students watching the fight. As long as you got hurt, it wouldn't have mattered, and if someone other than you did, he would have played it off saying it was your fault for not standing still and taking the hit like a target; I said target, not like a man, or because they were stupid enough to be there. I mean, a public school, how the hell did he expect no one to be there! And I'm not fighting your battles for you Ranma, I am simply helping you by using my most powerful weapon; my mind. Sometimes the best way to win a fight is not to let it get physical."

"Huh?" To say Ranma was confused now was an understatement. "But you clocked him?!"

"Ranma, you have to remember that just as well as your body is your weapon of choice, you must train your mind as well. I made Ryoga first defeat himself. When he saw that everything was really his fault, even by his own warped definitions, he became angry and tried to force you into a fight, so he could safely continue to blame you. He will in all likelihood, always try and do that, blame them and try and trick them into a fight, unless he is broken of that habit, which is why I hit him, to make him realize how utterly stupid he was acting. If you had hit him, he would have seen it as validating his beliefs that you were always in the wrong. When I did it, he was forced to realize that he was the problem.

"It is like when you taunt your opponents, try and get them angry so they make mistakes, it is the same with him." Nabiki stopped sparring with him and backed up. "Ranma, you will always be able to train your body stronger. But if your mind fails to keep up than little tricks, like what Ryoga did by insulting your manhood by saying you were hiding behind me, will always get you. If you can ignore such comments, and continue to find ways that make them look like the complete idiots that they are, it will make them fight much sloppier than if you just jumped in and fought them."

Ranma was still confused, but beginning to understand. His father had taught him that his body was the greatest weapon at his disposal, which made all other weapons useless. But Nabiki was saying that the mind could be just as strong. Judging by how she had turned Ryoga's anger unto himself, she could have a point. She had driven Ryoga to anger, not with insults, but by simply showing him his own flaws, without teasing him about it.

It was an impressive sight, one he wished to know how to do.

Nabiki decided she needed to press her advantage; she needed Ranma to grow so that he might avoid certain mistakes in the future. "Ranma, that is also why I have asked you to be more comfortable with your curse. What happens if one of your opponents tries and taunt you, call you fem-boy, claim you are barely half a man; you would begin to lose your cool and fight with anger clouding your mind. When your father calls you a weak girl, he is trying to make you fight sloppy so he can have a chance to beat you. Will you allow an obvious flaw he taught you; that girls and thus your girl half are weak, go unchanged; leaving you susceptible to taunts by those who would seek to make you feel weak because of the curse, or will you accept the possibility that you may never be cured of the curse, and thus grow from it?"

Teasing your opponent, making them angry enough to make mistakes in their attacks, angry enough to lose sight of the true purpose of the fight, was one of the major points of the Saotome school of Anything Goes Martial Arts. But now Nabiki had shown him a way to make your opponent angry without the insults, without trying to make them mad, as well as how vulnerable he was to such tactics. If you simply pointed out their own flawed reasons, their own flawed assumptions of the universe, about what they considered the truth, then they become far more likely to anger, more likely to lose focus, as you were essentially challenging what they had based everything on. If he didn't become comfortable with the fact that he might never find a cure, that simply because he changed into a female didn't make him weak, that no matter what body he was in, he was still the same person, than he would just as easily be defeated by someone using those tactics, that he would always be defenseless against an opponent that used his own insecurities against him. "So you're saying because you pointed out how Ryoga's flip-flopped views of what really happened, as well as his lax sense of honor, made everything his fault, was better than simply calling him pig-boy, bacon-breath, and making jokes about how he could get lost in a closed coffin? As long as I keep myself from being uncomfortable with myself and my own flaws, I can become a better person, and a better martial artist, as well as avoid being like that?"

Nabiki forced herself to try and not laugh or smile, as the first comment had caught her off guard. _I truly wonder if the Eternally Lost Boy could get lost in a closed casket. I might have to save that experiment for later, if he doesn't learn his lesson. _"If you insult Ryoga outside of battle, he will use it as proof to himself of how much a vile enemy you are. Yes Ranma, words have more power sometimes than even your fists, and can easily lead to one's own defeat. But you must forge the mind to be sharper than any blade, which is one of the reasons you attend school. Though the facts they teach may be, in your opinion, worthless, they in fact are like katas, designed to make the mind sharper. It is also why you must be comfortable being cursed as you are, because an enemy can use that flaw, your utter hatred of it because you believe it makes you weak, to break your spirit, and defeat you by your own self-hatred. As you have seen, my mind is very sharp, and in the past, it earned me the name of the Ice Queen of Furinkan High, as I was able to see the ways to manipulate people, a skill I have tried to avoid using on you, as I know how you hate to be manipulated in any way."

Ranma dropped his guard for a moment, not only surprised at the things Nabiki was teaching him; the things outside the power of the flesh, but of the mind, but that she was confiding in him that she knew of his hatred of being manipulated, that he hated things being forced onto him. _Was that the reason why she offered the way out of the engagement, because she knew how much I would hate to be forced into it, that maybe I would insult her as well? _"Is that the reason for the way out of the engagement? Were you manipulating me to believe I had a way out?"

Nabiki shook her head. "Ranma, I know far more about you than you realize, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't manipulated you in the smallest way when you arrived. But to be honest, none of us wanted to be married before we got out of Furinkan, it is a responsibility none of us, even me, were ready for." She closed her eyes, and looked down, forcing away the voice in her mind stating she would gladly be wed to him this moment if offered the chance. "I know you may hate me for it, but it wasn't exactly the best situation to tell you my plan. If I had taken you away from the dining room to tell you of my plan, the others would have listened and immediately planned a wedding, the same if they didn't listen in on us, assuming we were already desiring to spend our lives together. I don't pretend I will win your heart Ranma by trickery, by lying and scheming my way to victory, you are not a prize to be won, nor an object to be bartered for. I honestly do care what you think of me, I care how you perceive me. But you deserved some peace, some way to keep them from hounding you to marry me, to force their warped ideas of honor onto the both of us, a way they use their minds as weapons, by trying to make you see it as a matter of honor to marry me above all others. I don't want that. If we get married, if we become something more than friends, and don't kid yourself Ranma or allow others to make you think otherwise, if nothing else, we are at least friends, then it will be because we do it for love, not because of honor, not because of a promise made by two drunken men before either of us were born, but because we decide it, because we choose it, because we know beyond all certainty that it is what we want."

Ranma was no longer confused, no longer scared, but he did have some fears, concerns that needed addressing. "Nabiki, why did you accept this engagement? I know it wasn't easy, especially with me being cursed and all."

Nabiki just smiled; her eyes open and focusing on Ranma. "I accepted because when I looked at you, I recognized the same loneliness that I had, the same despair that what I wanted never mattered, as long as the family was happy. I am telling the truth Ranma when I say I have done some horrible things to keep this family together, to keep this home. I have done everything but sell my soul, and sometimes I did debate to sell my body, to keep everyone here. When I saw how lonely you were, I knew I had to do something to help you, even if I could only do that by being your friend. Your curse doesn't bother me Ranma, it shouldn't bother you, but I know it does, and maybe, always will. You never have to face this on your own, and I will do whatever I can to help you. Besides, would you rather be engaged to my sister Akane?"

A quick shudder ran through Ranma. "No way in hell I wanna be engaged to that violent uncute macho tomboy!"

"Did I do the wrong thing?"

"No, I suppose you did the right thing."

"Are you upset with me?"

"Not really, but it still feels weird, like things aren't right."

"I know Ranma, this is a lot to take in, and it probably goes against whatever your father taught you." Nabiki moved towards him, placing her hands on his shoulders. "Ranma, things have to change, that is the only thing you can count on, other than me staying your friend no matter what. Are you going to be OK with this?"

Ranma just scratched behind his head. "Sure Nabiki, I always knew the old man wasn't exactly right on anything other than martial arts. If you think it'll make me better, than I guess I can try it. Doesn't mean I will enjoy trying to be comfortable being a girl, and it doesn't mean I'll give up lookin' for a cure."

"Good, I wouldn't dream of stopping you. But just remember to think first. You do realize that you can't be cured by jumping into the Spring of Drowned Man, right?"

Ranma's face paled. "What!? Why!?" He had known for a while that it was his best shot at being cured, and now Nabiki was saying it wouldn't work.

_He needs to know this now. _"The curses of Jusenkyo are additive. That means if you jump into the Spring of Drowned Man, you won't change into a girl, but something that is part man, part woman; a hermaphrodite. The curses will mix, so you can't use one to cure another."

Ranma slumped towards the ground, his eyes beginning to water. "So I'll be a freak for the rest of my life?"

Nabiki sat beside him, pulling him into an embrace. "You aren't a freak Ranma. There are cures out there, waiting for you. The curse might also just run its course, leaving you after you grow beyond it having any meaning to you. I really don't know. But never, ever, think it makes you any less in my eyes, or the eyes of those who truly care for you. It doesn't make you any less of a man, just able to see things through different eyes. Do you understand?"

Ranma merely shook his head, his hand wiping his eyes. _She really doesn't care about it. I'm lucky to find her._

"Are you ready to continue your training with me?"

Ranma once again shook his head, a small smile appearing on his face.

Nabiki simply smiled and grabbed his hand, dragging him from the dojo. "Good, tonight we begin your mental training: today's homework assignments."

Ranma was beginning to wish that he did get into that fight with Ryoga. He was certain the pain would be a lot less.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After dinner, Ryoga had headed out, certain that he would end up here again sooner or later; after all, he seemed to always end up where Ranma was. His mind was filled with more thoughts than usual. _I really could have injured someone today, other than Ranma. Would I have felt sorry? What if I had ended up seriously hurting somebody, or worse…? Is that what I've become? Have I become so obsessed with Ranma, blaming him for everything wrong in my life, that all I can see is my vengeance?_

_**You are the only one who has been acting dishonorably. You attacked Ranma at school without a challenge letter, you were willing to use weapons that could kill in a crowded situation, and now you insult his honor by saying that simply because I am pointing out your own mistakes, that he is hiding behind me! **_

Nabiki's words were still ringing in his head. By his own flawed rules, getting cursed had been Ryoga's fault, as much as he wanted to blame Ranma for it. That red-headed girl had tried to knock him back towards the cliff after that violent panda had first knocked him off. It wasn't her fault that the rock face crumbled under his weight, and from what the Jusenkyo Guide told him, there were other pools nearby that could have turned him into far worse. _If I ever see that panda again I'll be certain to thank that girl properly, by giving her a panda-skin rug. She really seemed pissed at it for some reason. I wonder what it did. I mean, I know he tried to eat me, but why was that girl pissed at him?_

Then he began to remember his talk with Kasumi, walking with her to the market to get some groceries, even the fact he had to have a rope tied around their waists so that he wouldn't get lost; his own idea. She had helped him feel better about himself, pointing out that his curse of direction had helped him learn more about the world, become a great fighter without anyone teaching him. He had learned to live and survive on his own, and had even learned how to live in his cursed form, to even get the necessary things to make the hot water he needed to change back. He even had to admit in the end that when he wasn't obsessing about Ranma in China, he had actually enjoyed the trip.

_Funny, all that time trying to find Ranma in China, and I never once ran into him._

This all started with that bread feud. But it snowballed after the duel. Ranma had offered to escort him to the duel, but he refused, why? It was obvious Ranma had considered him a friend at the time despite the insults that the two had often let lose at each other, making certain he got where he needed to go, made it home and to school in a single trip, helped him get to his classes, and sparred with Ryoga, calling him a better rival than his pops. _So why, why did it all go downhill? Was the duel so important to me, or was it because I felt slighted by a friend, betrayed that he never took the duel seriously? Ranma had waited for me for three days and his stupid father refused to wait any longer and used a cheap shot to make Ranma leave._

_Was I slighted?_

_Was it all because of the occasional insults we threw at each other?_

_Did Ranma betray me?_

_If not, then what am I really doing?_

_Maybe Nabiki is right, maybe I have lost sight of what was really important._

Ryoga turned around, noticing that somehow, he had made it to the outskirts of the city. _Goodbye Ranma, when next we meet, I will face you with my honor restored, and defeat you like I should have that day, as an honorable fighter facing another._

As he left into the woods, he did something he hadn't done in many years; he smiled as he thought of Ranma, his friend.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akane had become very upset, she didn't know why, but she was really, really, pissed.

Nabiki and Ranma were becoming too close, of that at least, she was certain. Her sister first challenged this guy to fight Ranma fairly, without his 'weapons'. _As if bandanas and a belt can be a weapon! Besides, Ranma was supposed to be protecting her, and he just sat back while she fought his fight._ But then she remembered how Nabiki had effortlessly flicked them into the wall like daggers and had even used that Ryoga's belt to turn the rest into confetti.

_How did she do that? I never did get a chance to ask her, and Ryoga was grabbed up by Kasumi before I could. Maybe if I ask Nabiki, she will teach me. I wonder if I can do that, but I don't wear a belt, or bandanas, but maybe I can adapt it to something else._

Images of using extra ribbons attached to her hair and outfit were thrown out, as she didn't want to look too girly.

_But why is she hanging out with that pervert, I mean, what he did to Kuno was really funny, I admit that. But he is still a pervert who saw me naked, and Nabiki is defending him!_

_Maybe she is trying to squeeze some money out of him. That has to be it! Why else would she bother to hang around a pervert like that!?_

_I mean, how can she like that sex changing pervert!? He must do so many perverted things since he can change into a girl! I bet he messes around with his girl body all the time._

_Maybe that is why she is acting so nice to him, because he is blackmailing her. That has to be it; he got something on the Ice Queen! If she had something on him, he would be doing all sorts of stuff for her, or looking defeated! But she is being nice to him, showing affection to him! He must be making her do perverted things!_

_If that's true, then I must free her, before that PERVERT does something. _

And thus Akane began to try and determine how to stop Ranma from taking advantage of her sister. After all, Akane Tendo needed to protect her family; it was the duty of the best martial artist in Nerima and her responsibility to do so. For the sake of the family, she would find a way to rid them of the Saotomes.

She ignored the voice in her head, telling her she was about to do something stupid, but her ego and imagination quickly silenced the voice of discontent.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.

By the way, if you need any help with your stories or would like a fresh idea on what to write about for Ranma or Love Hina, let me know. I would be glad to help in any way I can.

So far, the suggestions for the Ranma/Nabiki/Akane conflict are:

Right now, my best plan so far is to bring Kaori in early, having it appear Nabiki sent the letter to her, offering Ranma up.

1.) Well, that would work, but Akane is a mistress of Dwarven stealth it would seem. Something THAT subtle is clearly out of her range. I would advise something more along the lines of Akane making something up, then spreading it to Nabiki's lieutenants under The guise of the fact that Nabiki is too busy to tell them herself, with the instruction That if anyone asks, it came from Nabiki. Now, I know that seems contradictory of what I just said, but all this requires is a few childish lies and an easy cover up.

2.) Sounds like ranma: take 2 is set up, the pic. Idea works well seeing Nabiki's background. But Akane doesn't know WHY she takes the pics and Ranma does

3.) I suggest Akane listening in to Nabiki and Ranma's conversation. Akane then go to Nabiki's Lieutenants and then let the chaos ensue. Ranma blames Nabiki because of her mercenary ways and gets a bit suspicious with her since she can predict the events.

4.) As for Take 2 Maybe Akane could contact more of the "Other Fiancées and Nabiki gets the blame!

5.) On the Ranma take 2, where you ask for Akane to do something and blame it on Nabiki. What about taking pictures of Ranma… Nabiki is giving that up, but if Akane does it, then the pictures get sold at school… Ranma would be pissed. It is also something that Nabiki would do, but since Akane is not a business type then she would sell the pics for far to low a price. So if and when Nabiki found out how much they paid she would know that only someone lacking in business skill would sell them for that price. Now as to how to get Ranma to believe Nabiki, that would be a hard thing, as its not really going to help if she tells him that she would have had the since to sell the pictures for a higher price.

6.) Well, you could (if you see Akane as a closet bisexual with a cat-girl/cat-boy fetish, which is, frankly, quite plausible) have Akane take photos of both a completely nude boy Ranma and girl Ranma (specifically in accidental erotically-revealing positions or 'poses', maybe even catching Ranma masturbating in both forms), transfer the pics to a school computer for covert printing out, and coincidentally printing out the picture perfect photo copies all across campus, while somehow avoiding discovery by a faculty or staff member.

7.) And as for Ranma: take 2 I feel the best thing would be for Akane to start giving out info on Ranma to the highest bidder. Making his life a living hell sort to speak. But in the end go with what you feel best, that goes with who you think should get with Ranma as well. Because if you have doubts about what you're writing it will not be as good as it could be.

8.) Ranma: Take 2 idea. Akane sets up a duel for Ranma with some martial artist and has Nabiki's underlings bet on Ranma not to show. Telling them that it's Nabiki's orders. Ranma is far more sensitive about losing a fight then showing a little skin.

So, what idea sounds the best, as well as any new ideas? So far, I like #4. I would like the conflict to start on the next chapter, so people, let me know!


	13. Self Delusion and Self Realization

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 13**

**Self Delusion and Self Realization**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First off, I am sorry this chapter took so long; I was constantly adjusting it, trying to bring in more detail and believability in Nabiki's desires to make Ranma's life better.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000+ words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website (wwwwot-cluborg.uk/RanmaFAQ/arts/special.htmlranma1) where the moves have been listed. Just replace the with /. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

Now, on with the show.

Special thanks to Howard Russell for the main conflict idea and the pre-reading.

* * *

Ryoga sat before his campfire in the forest, not really certain if he was in Peru or Mongolia, but he did have other things on his mind. Since he had left Nerima, he had been going over his past with one Ranma Saotome, trying to look at things from a disinterested angle.

_This all started because of that damn bread. Okay, so I got angry because Ranma always stole my -I mean, the last loaf of bread. Should I be mad at that? I mean, it wasn't my bread until I grabbed it, and he did occasionally share it with me._

_Okay, so the bread feud is out. He had as much right to it as I did._

_Next was his attitude towards me, always insulting me. _

_Can't hold that against him either; I remember Genma. I'm surprised Ranma is even allowed to interact with people, let alone has the ability to make friends._

_Then there was the duel. He did offer to get me there on time, and I did turn him down, and leave minutes just before the duel, even knowing my cursed sense of direction. Ranma did wait three days until his father knocked him out and dragged him to China._

_And of course, I just had to follow._

Ryoga looked at his hands, remembering how they looked while he was in his cursed form. _I followed him for two years over a stupid loaf of bread and ended up cursed to turn into a piglet._

_Man, I really am an idiot._

Ryoga bent over the fire, grabbing the kettle that was cooking his instant ramen noodles and poured some into a bowl to begin eating. _So what do I do now?_ _If I am to be his friend again, I need to stop acting like that. Why is it I see everything he does as an insult to me? I know I didn't have the best of lives, but still, I am a martial artist and I should be above that. _

_He will have to stop the insulting. Maybe I do it as well, but I have to get over this anger._

Ryoga lowered his head. _Anger, that is really what this is about I guess. With Ranma, he was able to last against me long enough for me to burn off my anger. Maybe that's why I followed him. He was what allowed me to release my anger._

_Is that all he is, a way for me to vent? Or is he a friend?_

He thought back to the times where Ranma helped him to class, to the lunch room, to the fields to spar, even back to his own house.

Were those the actions of a friend?

Ryoga threw his empty cup into the fire and lay down. His head was beginning to hurt from all of this thinking he was doing now.

* * *

Akane was mad.

Well, while that might not be new to anyone with more brain cells than your basic goldfish, to see her now would make one wonder what nuclear furnace this new menace to Tokyo crawled out from, since her red aura was melting the sidewalk slightly as she walked home.

For the last few days, she had been somewhat secretly spreading rumors about Ranma around the school.

Well, silently and sneakily are not traits one would associate with the youngest Tendo. While she would never admit to her flaws - let alone admit that any flaw exists in her - she did know how to be careful, as she did not need Nabiki to track this back to her.

The easiest part had been getting Kuno to attack Ranma, which he did almost hourly now. She had sent him a few photos of Ranma in his girl form, with an "anonymous" note stating that the redhead was Ranma's mistress, whom he used regularly for his perverted passions. In her mind, it was the truth: since all boys were perverts and since Ranma had the ability to turn into a girl, then he must be doing perverted things to his body.

"Vile sorcerer, you will release the pure-hearted, pig-tailed girl from your evil and lecherous grasp! I will not allow one such as thee to pervert her innate purity with your foul deeds! How dare you use such foul magics to turn her into little more than a common street whore!"

Akane had to smile at that. Kuno, in his usual stupidity, had claimed to the whole school that the "pig-tailed girl" was a slut whom Ranma had changed from a innocent woman. While few at the school had seen the redhead in person - a weird fact that Ranma had never remained in his cursed form for more than a few seconds as he seemed to always have a thermos with hot water available to him - none but Ranma himself and the two Tendo sisters knew it was really Ranma. It had even been easy enough to play off the discovery of Ranma's girl side as the result of Sasuke spying on the dojo, hoping to strengthen her innocence about the subject. Hell she had even pretended to be Nabiki and sold the perverted kendoist photos of female Ranma showing off her usual lack of modesty - removing her soaked shirt after her father had tossed her into the koi pond – to the perverted kendoist.

She had enjoyed the ice cream and manga that the ¥ 5,000 had bought her.

She knew that, sooner or later, Kuno would be forced to approach Nabiki about buying more photos, as Akane had done it through drop off points so even the insane upperclassman would not think she had had anything to do with it. If he did request more photos from her sister and Ranma was around, she feared he would use his obvious blackmail over her sweet sister and make poor Nabiki do more perverted things as punishment.

But so far her plans had failed. Nabiki was at school vehemently denying that Ranma was any sort of pervert, in fact declaring that Ranma was too pure hearted to be any sort of pervert. And with his thermos, Ranma had been able to hide his curse at school, only spending any time in his cursed form at home. First, he did so to practice with his new body's altered reach, balance, and speed. Second, because he was afraid that if he didn't try and equalize his time in both forms, the Jusenkyo curse would find a way to expose him.

The pervert was even sleeping as a girl now, saying that eight hours of sleep might mean eight hours where cold water didn't seek him out.

While many of the former Hentai Horde had been asking Ranma about the "pig-tailed girl", asking him what kind of things the girl did, he had yet to strike out against them, claiming they were too weak for him as a martial artist to hurt them merely because they couldn't "shut their damn mouths!" But the rumors continued to spread beyond what even Nabiki could control. As a result, the girl was said to be willing to spread her legs for anyone her "Master Ranma" told her to. Then there was the rumor that Ranma and redhead had a child and had already given it up for adoption. There were other such scenarios that were too graphic for even Akane to listen to.

Stopping by the canal, she began to think once again. She needed to expose Ranma, but in the worst possible situation. It needed to be where he would be exposed to as many people as possible - as well as contain any fallout to be his fault as well - where everyone would see how much of a pervert he truly was.

Smiling, she thought of the perfect scenario in which to expose the pervert to the world, and show everyone the true sexual deviant she knew Ranma Saotome to be. She just needed to make a trip to the school later on tonight.

* * *

As Kuno flew back against the outer wall of the school, Ranma stood there with his fist forward, anger flowing off him. No matter how many times he gave this asshole a beat-down, he just kept coming back for more, demanding that Ranma free the "pig-tailed girl" from being his sex slave.

"Feeling any better, Ranma?"

Turning towards his fiancée, Ranma tried to force a smile; he always felt better when Nabiki was around him, but this constant barrage about his girl side was wearing his patience thin. "No, actually I'm beginning to lose my calm with the Blue Blunder."

In the background, one could barely hear the meek protest of the said idiot; "I fight on!" He then passed out once again onto the grass.

"Sorry Ranma, but there are just too many rumors for me to backtrack the source from. Whoever started them sure meant to hurt us from what I can tell. The only guess my friends can come up with is that it must be a disgruntled suitor who saw how you acted in your other form, probably saw you sleeping in your room and wearing your clothes and just jumped to conclusions." Recent events were quickly pissing off Nabiki faster than Kuno was pissing off Ranma. She had never had to deal with this in the previous timeline; but then again, Ranma's curse had come out in the open by the third day.

It was now nearly two weeks since the Saotomes had arrived and no one knew of the curse save those who learned of it on day one. But their luck was obviously running out. Nabiki and Ranma had been working on a counter to the rumor: that the girl was actually Ranma's twin sister from Juuban, visiting her brother. It was the best they could come up with: mostly true since his female form was what Ranma would have looked like had he been born a she, and gave a good reason why she didn't go to Furinkan. But the majority of people didn't believe it because Ranma didn't have a photo of them together, let alone the ability to introduce her. It seemed the more they tried to distract them from the horrible rumors, the more the idiots tended to believe them.

"Maybe I should just show everyone and get it over with. At least that way, I'll have some peace."

Nabiki shook her head. "It's up to you, Ranma. Frankly, Kuno wouldn't believe it if he was holding your hand while you changed. When do you want to do it?"

"After school. It'll give me time to figure out what I wanna say ta them. Of course, it'll be hell afterwards, so you better be prepared to get out of here."

"I will be, you just be careful. I don't know who started these rumors, but you can bet they won't be stopped by a little thing like the truth coming out." She was speaking the truth. She had no idea who would do this, but they obviously had luck - and the general chaos that surrounded Ranma - on their side. In truth, Nabiki highly doubted whoever started these rumors had any idea they would go this far. Nabiki herself had already had to deal with several dozen offers from perverts to put them in contact with Ranma's mistress while an equal number of girls were asking her such questions as why she let Ranma have a mistress and a surprising amount of girls asking both if they could have Ranma as well or join the group.

Rubbing her temples, Nabiki made her way towards the building after giving Ranma a chaste kiss on the cheek. By now, her former lieutenants would be waiting for her by her class with news of the new rumors that had appeared since yesterday. It seemed that no matter how many of the rumors they countered or addressed, three more took their place. She did wonder what it would be today: would it be that she was pregnant and thus had to stay with Ranma, or maybe that she was barren and the other girl was to produce an heir, or something so outlandish that she had to balk at the idea someone would believe it.

But then again, this was a school where an insane junior was able to challenge Akane to a morning fighting ritual and get away with it, and convince the male population is was okay to fight her for a date.

When she found out who did this, they would definitely pay in blood.

"Hey, Nabiki, how are you doing?"

The former Ice Queen turned to see her sister walking up; the days of the Hentai Horde long since gone. "About as well as could be expected considering I am one of the targets of the new rumor mill." She maintained her silence for a second before mentioning something weird to Akane. "Sis, why isn't your hair done up in a pony tail?"

Akane began to blush, cursing herself for losing her ribbon last night during the execution of her plan. "I lost it last night while I was running errands. I didn't even notice it until I got home and prepared for bed. I think I'll leave it like this for a while."

Nabiki just shrugged and the two began to make their way inside. There were more important things to worry about than her sister's choice of hairstyles.

* * *

For once, Ranma had worked up a sweat in gym. Though he usually outdid all the other students without even breaking a sweat, now he used it to work out his frustration. As the tension of dealing with both Kuno and the horde of boys asking personal questions and comments about his supposed "love slave", to the weird and wide range of comments and questions he received from the females of the class, his temper was about to break.

Turning on the shower closest to the door, he waited for a few minutes for it to warm up, claiming to the other students that if the water was too cold, and it could throw his body into shock. It was amazing that they would believe a stupid excuse like that but think he was sleeping around with two girls which he denied. It wasn't until he stepped under the spray that he heard the warning.

"Man, what the hell? There's no hot water!"

_Shit!_ Ranma immediately felt his body change to a girl. He quickly tried to make his way back to the locker to grab a thermos, hoping that, after the day he had, that there was any hot water left.

Unfortunately for her, several of the boys saw this nude, gorgeous redhead and knew her from the pictures Kuno had been showing around. They immediately - believing all the rumors about her - tried to make for a free grab.

When Ranma was finished with them, they knew that a cast was going to be needed after they reset the bones.

Quickly dressing, after finding out that her thermoses were empty, she quickly made her way outside the locker room to begin a search for hot water, only to find half of the female gym class waiting for her, pulling her out the rest of the way and throwing her against the opposite wall.

"So, the rumors were true! I bet you were trying to 'impress' the other guys, huh?"

"So Ranma wasn't enough for you, huh? You just had to have more men!"

The comments continued, further infuriating the redhead, as the girls seemed just as ready to believe the rumors about her as the guys. _Akane is wrong; not just guys are perverts, everyone is a God damned pervert!_ "Listen here, I am nothing like those worthless rumors make me out to be. Keep this up, and you'll end up worse off than those perverts in the boy's locker room!"

Before the girls could answer, a small explosion was heard, followed by an exposed steam pipes opening up and pouring hot water on Ranma, turning her back into a guy. "I have a damned curse that changes me into a girl, so don't think for a moment I change in my mind." Before he could continue, the sprinkler system turned on, reverting him back into his girl form before their very eyes.

"They're right; any guy that could do that must be a pervert!"

"I bet he changes into a girl and feels himself up!"

The comments continued from there, but were stopped when Ranma put her fist through the wall. "If any of you delusional freaks try and start something with me, or continue to spread these rumors, I will beat you down so bad, that Kuno's IQ will be higher than yours."

Turning away, Ranma walked out, her face pale at what she had just done; even more so at the fact that she hadn't cared.

* * *

Ranma made her way outside the school, her eyes wide and breath ragged at what had occurred inside. _What the hell is the matter with those people? They don't even know me and they automatically judged me for what happened. And when they found out I was both the pig-tailed girl and Ranma…_

_Those worthless bitches turned on me quicker than pops at an all-you-can-eat buffet, and some of them were friends._

_Why did this have to happen to me?_

"Ah, my beloved pig-tailed goddess. So at last you have made an appearance before me to ask for my assistance in ridding you of the slovenly cretin who imprisons your mind and abuses your body with his touch most foul."

_Not now! Anyone but him, and certainly not now!_ "Kuno, I ain't got any time for your stupidity or delusions. I've had a rough day. Keep it up and I will take it out on you." That said, Ranma's mood darkened, her face conveying her anger and strife to all those around.

Well, conveying it to all those who could grasp such simple concepts as up and down. Unfortunately, Kuno was not such a person. "Alas, I cannot ignore the plight of such beauty that yearns for my presence. We must embrace so that my divine presence may erode the evil that the horrid sorcerer Ranma Saotome has imbued into your holy shell. Come to me, pig-tailed girl!"

As Kuno rushed Ranma, the pig tailed girl finally snapped. The stress of the last few days, and what had just occurred in the locker room, was more than enough to break her mind, and allow her to take her rage out on the delusional man now trying to molest her.

Several students, including several of the girls and boys who had confronted Ranma outside of the locker rooms, watched as the girl slowly picked Kuno apart, wincing at the sounds of contact as Ranma screamed at him, repeating answers and denials to the rumors that had been spread about her after every punch and kick she delivered to the upperclassman.

"I AM NOT YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"I AM NOT SOME COMMON SLUT!"

"I AM A VIRGIN!"

"I AM NOT SOME LOOSE WHORE!"

"I HAVE NEVER SLEPT WITH ANYONE! I ONLY HAD MY FIRST KISS A FEW DAYS AGO!"

Ranma would have continued bashing Kuno, who was now on the ground moaning in pain, when something caught her eye. She reached down, her left hand still grasping Kuno's left arm in preparation for a forceful dislocation, and picked up a set of pictures.

"Those…mine…tokens…love." Kuno was slowly returning to consciousness.

Ranma looked at the photos in horror. Some of the pictures were of Akane working out. But the others were pictures of herself, topless. The anger inside Ranma began to grow again. Turning back to Kuno, she placed her left foot across his throat and began to press. "Who gave you pictures of me? Who sold them to you?"

Ranma increased the pressure on the kendoist, repeating the questions over and over, until finally…

"Nabiki…"

Ranma removed her foot. "What did you say?"

"I purchased the photos of my loves from Nabiki Tendo."

"No, that's not possible!"

Ranma turned to see that that statement had come from the mentioned woman, her eyes wide with fear. "I may have sold you photos of my sister, but I never sold any of her."

Ranma never heard that though, she just looked into the eyes of her fiancée. She knew that Kuno was telling the truth; his eyes gave it away. But Nabiki's eyes, they were unreadable; something she had practiced for years while she acquired money for the family. So Ranma did the only thing she could do. Her tears began to streak down her face and she took off, the pictures still in hand, ripping them up as she left the school grounds in amazing speed.

Nabiki just stood there, tears on her own face, before turning towards the school. "I am going to find out who did this to us, Ranma, and they will pay!"

* * *

Nabiki was down in the remains of the boiler room, trying to find some clue as to why they would explode like that. Right now her best guess made her suspect someone had tried to shut off the hot water to get Ranma exposed, as it had happened in the boy's locker room from the new rumors going around. But whoever did it obviously either had not the patience to find out how to do it right or the expertise to do it correctly, resulting in the increased pressure that ruptured the lines and the boilers.

_This is obviously the work of an amateur; anyone with at least a hint of professionalism would have planned better than this. If they were serious about it, they would merely have shut off the hot water to the showers. Instead it looks like they closed off some of the main pipes and forgot to leave the pressure release valve open. The only good thing to come of this is that school will be closed for the next few days while they repair it._

Stopping a moment, Nabiki closed her eyes and tried to get used to the dark again, trying to allow her senses to reach out and find some clue. No, she was doing it now to try and force herself past the pain she had seen in Ranma's eyes when he found those photos of his girl side on Kuno; when that bastard had told Ranma he had purchased them from Nabiki.

_Those eyes…they showed so much pain and betrayal. I told him I had nothing to do with his photos. I admitted to selling the ones of Akane._

_But will he believe me?_

_Will he lose his faith in me?_

Nabiki brought her hand to her face, trying to dry up the tears that were falling. In only a few short seconds, she had watched as the man she loved lost his respect for her felt his heart break, because a delusional man thought she had sold some photos.

_This isn't right; it's not supposed to be like this. We didn't do anything to deserve this. _

She had every right to believe that Akane had already made it home, and if her attitude lately was to be expected, she would quickly make it look like Ranma's fault, to which the old farts would quickly agree since their father never could doubt his youngest daughter. Now she would have to deal with them as well as the inevitable consequences from Ranma's exposure in the boy's shower.

And to top it all off, the man she loved more than her own life now thought of her as a betrayer of his fragile trust.

This day just kept getting worse.

She turned to leave, giving up on finding a clue when something caught her eye. In all the dirt and grime of the basement, she saw a tattered white ribbon stuck on a pipe. She moved closer and carefully removed it, noticing it still had some hairs on it. Thinking it was her breakthrough, she made her best speed out of the basement and into the daylight.

What she discovered shocked her to her very core.

The ribbon had several long strands of blue hair still stuck to it.

Before she could get farther along her thoughts, she was interrupted by Sasuke. "Excuse me, Mistress, but Master Kuno wishes to discuss the procurement of additional photos of his two loves, as Master Saotome destroyed his previous pictures."

Her voice was devoid of all emotion, her head hung low, causing her bangs to obscure her eyes even for one such as the small Sasuke. "Sasuke, how did he get the photos of the pig-tailed girl?"

"They were left in his shoe locker with a note that asked for ¥ 5,000 to be left in an empty locker at the end of the hall. I must admit that I, myself, was confused at this is not how you have normally done business with Master Kuno."

Nabiki's eyes shot wide, the implications finally hitting her. "Sasuke, inform Kuno that I will not be selling him any pictures of either of his loves. Also inform him that the pig-tailed girl is named Ranko Saotome; she is Ranma's twin sister. She will never love Kuno because of the way he has treated her honorable brother and his utter failure at being a man instead of a little child lost in a fantasy world. Finally, inform him that if he should bother me or either of the Saotome children any further about pictures or unwanted advances of love or hatred, I will crush his testicles like seedless grapes. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Mistress." He was now scared, as he had seen Nabiki tighten her fist around a white ribbon to the point her fingernails were cutting her palm, releasing a small flow of blood.

"Good. Now if you will excuse me, I must deal with a betrayer of my trust in as violent a way as possible." Nabiki walked away, her eyes showing the anger that was building in her soul. She barely got ten feet away from the diminutive ninja before a blood red battle aura surrounded her.

Meanwhile the ninja was making his way back to the Kuno mansion to deliver her message. _I don't know who betrayed her, but I feel sorry for what they have brought upon themselves. She reminds me of Mistress Kodachi when the school informed her that she could no longer bring Mr. Turtle to school. _

* * *

Akane was smiling since she had come back. She had returned an hour earlier, after the school was shut down for the boiler explosion, silently gloating in the success of her plan to break up Ranma and Nabiki. She had been able to catch the end of his fight with Kuno, feeling more righteous after watching how he brutalized Kuno.

As usual, the fathers were playing their game of Go, Akane was sitting at the table reading one of her newer manga, while Kasumi was in the kitchen working on lunch.

Of course what happened next was anything but usual.

"YOU WORTHLESS, SELF-CONCEITED BITCH!"

Akane just had enough time to see the hatred in Nabiki's eyes before Nabiki caught her with a vicious right hook across her face.

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	14. Showdown Part 1

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 14**

**Showdown Part 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First off, I am sorry this chapter took so long; I was constantly adjusting it, trying to bring in more detail and believability in Nabiki's desires to make Ranma's life better.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000+ words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website (wwwwot-cluborg.uk/RanmaFAQ/arts/special.html#ranma1) where the moves have been listed. Just replace the with /. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

Now, on with the show.

Special thanks to Howard Russell for the main conflict idea and the pre-reading.

* * *

Storming home, Nabiki's rage was focused on her sister. Her anger grew as she remembered her sister's betrayals; not only of the last few weeks, but the worst from the original timeline's future.

* * *

Nabiki sat at the bar in her mansion, sipping on whatever drinks her muddled mind had concocted. The damn note that had ravaged her mentality was still in her hand.

_Nabiki,_

_I'm sorry for taking advantage of you last night. We are both married, and the last thing I'd want to do is mess up your marriage. I know we both were in a bad spot last night. I hope you can forgive me one day._

_Ranma_

She crumpled the note, flinging it across the room. _Damn him! How could he just waltz into my heart like that and throw me aside! _Wiping some tears from her face, she stared into her drink. Fear, anger, hatred, sadness; each playing across her face. She wasn't used to someone getting through her defenses like he had; something even her worthless husband had never done. _Didn't he know how bad my own marriage is? We talked about our failed love lives enough for him to get that._

But before she could fully break down, before the mask of the "Ice Queen" could fall fully off her face, the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"_Nabiki, that bastard left me!"_

She smiled; glad at least some good had come from last night. "Why, Akane, whatever do you mean? Which bastard are we talking about?" She kept her smile, occasionally making some sound that led Akane to believe she was still listening to her as the youngest sister began to list every perceived offense Ranma had done to her. It was almost wrong for her; in her mind at least, to feel happy that Akane was so upset. But it did mean Ranma was finally putting his foot down and refusing to be Akane's scapegoat anymore.

"_Nabiki, are you even listening!"_

_Damn, better pay attention to the Drama Queen. _"Yes I am, sister dear. You have spent the last forty minutes bitching and moaning about how you feel Ranma has betrayed you and how you feel like he isn't worth your time and maybe you shouldn't have felt pity and married him. Did I forget anything?" _Damn it, this is the same shit she spouts off every time she feels Ranma hasn't licked her boots enough._

"_Uh, no. Why did that pervert do this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this?"_

Anger began to rise in Nabiki's mind. _That bitch doesn't even see any of this as her fault. That ends now! _"I don't know, Akane. Maybe it was the fact you insist on feeding him food that even you won't eat. Maybe it is because you always hit him first and ask questions later with no apologies. Maybe it is because he came home last night and found his best friend FUCKING his wife in their marriage bed. You're right Akane, none of that makes any sense as to why he left you."

The silence on the end of the line was enough satisfaction for Nabiki. It made her feel pride that she was able to bring down her over-dramatic sister. "Well? Do you have anything to say for yourself, little sister, or are you going to try and blame this on Ranma as well?"

"_How did you…I mean, what gave you the idea I cheated on Ranma?"_

"Oh, he came by here last night and broke down in tears. Do you know he was coming to tell you that he wanted the two of you to get some counseling to find out why you were so violent and untrusting, and why you seemed to have no feelings for your marriage? Imagine what he felt finding you in bed with Ryoga of all people; someone he felt was one of his friends. I guess the two of you were quite lucky he didn't perform a Shishi Höködan and send both of your backstabbing asses to the next life."

"_It wasn't my fault. If Ranma had just treated me like he should have…and stopped making fun of me…"_

"Don't give me that bullshit, sister. I know exactly how he has been treating you. Hell, I'm surprised he hasn't done this sooner with as many times as I had to talk him down from killing himself over your little temper tantrums. Face it Akane, you fucked up, refused to grow up, and Ranma got tired of your little act."

"_But…but…but he loves me."_

"And that makes it okay for you to sleep with another guy and beat the hell out of the man who you know will never fight you back?"

"_But he deserved to be hit Nabiki. He is always running around on me with those other whores. Hell, I bet he even tried to fuck you. That PERVERT, WHEN I FIND HIM—"_

"ENOUGH!" Nabiki brought her free hand to her forehead, trying to stave off the migraine that her sister was causing. _Its like talking to a brick wall—a dumb brick wall. _"You know what, it doesn't matter. You know for a damn fact that Ranma was always faithful to you. Kami-sama knows that before you two tied the knot, Shampoo, Kodachi, and Ukyo threw themselves at him enough times, trying to make him cheat, but he always stayed by your side and defended you. And what did he get for his troubles? He got an abusive wife who didn't give a damn if he was innocent or not, who got off on the fact that she had him and no one else did, and who cheated on him with his best friend to prove how beaten he was. Well guess what, sis; he decided you simply weren't worth the trouble anymore. And you know what? So have I."

Slamming the phone back on the charger, Nabiki got up moving towards the lone window in the room. Tears begin to fall down her face, before she collapsed to her knees crying. _Ranma, I'm so sorry. Maybe I'm not worth it anymore either._

_But I will become worth it. I promise you that.

* * *

_

"YOU WORTHLESS, SELF-CONCEITED BITCH!"

Akane just had enough time to see the hatred in Nabiki's eyes before Nabiki caught her with a vicious right hook across her face.

The two fathers watched with amazement and fear as Nabiki's strike launched Akane out into the backyard. She stood before them, teeth tightly clenched, breathing heavily, holding a white ribbon in her left hand. Genma saw the rage in her eyes, and decided it was best to keep his mouth shut at this time. Soun, silently admitting how much Nabiki's current look reminded him of how Kimiko would look at him when he did something truly stupid, decided it was best as well to be quiet, but also began to discretely back away towards the living room.

"Oh my. Nabiki, why did you strike your sister?" Kasumi, unlike her father, did not care what temperament either of her sisters was in. At this point, all she knew was that her usually reserved sister had just insulted her younger, slightly violent sister before striking her and sending her out into the yard. Kasumi's disappointment was obvious in her voice, as well as on her face.

But Nabiki never turned to look at her; never made a move to acknowledge her. She just stared at the surprised Akane who was currently holding her cheek. "You wish to know, sister dear? Why not ask that bitch sitting outside. Because of her, the man I love hates me. Because of her, the entire school thinks Ranma is a freak. Because of her my life has been turned into hell!" She slowly began to raise the ribbon, holding her eyes to Akane, trying to convey the rage now welling up in her soul. "Next time you wish to torment someone, Akane, be certain you don't leave your hair ribbon behind."

Akane, now finally over the shock that her sister had struck her, began to stand, trying to appear innocent and self-righteous. "But, Nabiki, he was nothing but a perverted freak. I mean, there is no way you could love someone like him. Besides, you should be thanking me for freeing you from him. Now he'll leave you alone and we can all get back to our normal lives, like before the Saotomes showed up."

Now she was furious. Nabiki had been willing to concede that Akane and Ryoga were worth saving. Granted, she had figured Ryoga the worst offender; as even though he often helped Ranma battle strong opponents, he was Ranma's most hated enemy, even vowing to take Akane from him. _Strange that the pig was always angry no matter if it looked like they would break up or stay together._ But Akane—her own sister—had proven to be the worst of them all. Akane had purposely slandered both Nabiki's and Ranma's reputation, and took pains to make certain it all fell on the couple. "You made it look like I was the one to destroy Ranma's reputation—made it look like I sold him out—and you have the gall to ask me to thank you for betraying the guy I love!"

Nabiki leapt from her position, trying to drive another punch into the face of her betrayer; the sister, whom in the previous time line, she had fought so hard to protect.

Akane had managed to dodge the assault, finding her sister's moves coming at her much quicker than she was used to handling. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, NABIKI? I SAVED YOU FROM THE PERVERT'S PLAN!"

Nabiki continued to slowly build up her speed. "You don't give a damn about me; you just care about getting rid of any rivals! Me included!" Akane felt a kick get through her feeble defenses. "You only care about your Kuno-like delusions of being the best. Well, Akane, you suck!" Nabiki was able to land another punch and launch Akane into the wall behind the koi pond. "You only care about your own worthless and honor-less pride, claiming to be a martial artist and acting like a cowardly bully."

Meanwhile, Akane was barely standing up, feeling the effects of her impact on the wall. While she did practice martial arts, and claimed to be the heir to the Tendo School, Nabiki had put in far more hours in the last three weeks than Akane had in the last three months, perhaps years. Her ribs hurt from the punch her sister managed to land, not counting the kick that had also done some damage. "Damn it, Nabiki, does the pervert still have you under his control? Let me know so I can save you!"

"Save me? SAVE ME?" Now lividity filled Nabiki's mind. "How dare you, you worthless bitch! You think I need your help? You think I need saving from Ranma? He was the first man to treat me like a decent woman in over ten years; not that a self-conceited ass like you would know of such things. I loved him with all my heart, and would have married him in an instant if all he would do is ask and mean it with all his heart!

"But you…you can't accept such things. If a male doesn't love you, then they are up to something. If they don't bow to Akane before they bow to Nabiki or Kasumi, then they aren't worth shit to you!" She accentuated her points buy throwing punches and kicks at Akane—no real purpose in connecting, just making her sister sweat.

Finally knocking Akane to the ground, Nabiki stood over her, a fist raised to deliver a final blow; their father sitting at the side, afraid of what Nabiki might do to him for interfering. "No, you won't get off so easy. I know you're too stupid to even apologize for the shit you pulled lately; even if mother was here to tell you to."

Akane began to fume, but knew Nabiki held her at a disadvantage.

Nabiki smiled. "I was afraid I would have to do this, Akane, but your stupidity and refusal to grow has forced me. I CHALLENGE YOU, AKANE TENDO, FOR THE ROLE OF HEIR TO THE TENDO SCHOOL OF ANYTHING GOES MARTIAL ARTS! DO YOU YEILD OR ACCEPT!"

The residents were shocked. Since Kimiko Tendo's death, Nabiki had shown no interest in the Arts. But lately she had shown a revitalized interest, and now Akane was paying for her follies.

But now she was openly challenging her sister. "But, Nabiki, you hate the Arts."

Nabiki's face took on a scowl. "Maybe I did after mom passed on, but you have disgraced the school with your holier-than-thou attitude. I can't let you pull this shit anymore, Akane. If I win, you give up interfering in Ranma's life as well as surrender your title to me. This fight shouldn't have happened. But you can't stand not being the center of attention. So you had to ruin the only good thing I had going for me; the only thing I gave a damn about besides the family!"

Nabiki turned and headed towards the house again, tilting her head towards her fallen rival. "I'm going to get my stuff. We meet tonight at the old soccer field in the park at eight. Don't be late; even a single second means you forfeit. May mother have mercy upon your soul, dear sister, because I certainly won't."

She quickly turned her head back towards the three spectators. "If any of you interfere—including you Saotome and your Forbidden Techniques—then she will forfeit automatically. I would hate for you—either of you old fools— to try and stack the deck because you would hate to see the spoiled bitch lose."

Quickly jumping to the roof and entering her room, she missed the shocked expressions on the faces of the four people; including Genma's at the fact that she knew of his forbidden techniques.

* * *

"Hello, Dr. Tofu."

The good doctor turned from his desk, looking at the woman who stood in his doorway, leaning against the frame. Surprise was a good emotion for this moment, as he rarely saw the middle Tendo sister here; unless one of her associates got a little too physical, an event that had not occurred but three times. "Ah, Nabiki, what can I do for you?"

Nabiki smiled, trying to play off the news as completely harmless. "Oh, I came to tell you that after eight tonight, you will likely have two severely injured parties coming to you for emergency treatment."

The smile quickly left the doctor's face. "I see. Will it be Akane in her usual brawls or your fiancé?"

The smile grew on Nabiki's face. "My sister will be involved. She decided it would be best to break up my engagement by ruining my reputation and that of Ranma's, so I plan to kick her ass so bad, I'll need a bowl to hand it back to her."

_Okay, now that is a new twist._ Tofu tried to hide his shock. Nabiki had never been one for physical violence, from what he learned of her past. To openly say she was going to savagely beat her sister… "Should I assume her actions were so bad that this event will be necessary?"

The smile quickly faded from her face. "She did something I cannot forgive, nor will I tolerate, unlike the cowardly fathers I am forced to stay with. She has been spoiled far too long, and it's time she grew up. Since the only thing her brain seems capable of comprehending is a fist upside her empty skull, then so be it." She turned and began to walk out. "Just be ready. I am leaving a change of clothes for myself, since I can bet this outfit won't survive the encounter, but I couldn't care less what that bitch wears home. Just be expecting it, Doctor. This has got to happen."

As she left, the doctor took out the two folders from his file cabinet for the two sisters. _Nabiki, I don't know what happened, but to get the supposed Ice Queen to lose her façade like this…_

_Please don't kill her, Nabiki. No matter what, she doesn't deserve to die.

* * *

_

Nabiki stood in the middle of the soccer field; arms folded over her chest, eyes closed. From here, she would be able to hear the school's clock tower chime off the hour. Her last look at it had placed the time at 7:52 pm. Now she stood in silent vigil. She knew Ranma had waited for Ryoga for three days, when the code of bushido would have allowed him to leave after Ryoga had failed to arrive at the appointed time.

Ranma knew of Ryoga's problems and gave the Lost Boy the benefit of the doubt.

Akane would get no such consideration.

Nabiki was still furious, but having finished her dinner around seven, she had tried to meditate and try to calm herself down. Since the merger, she had never experienced emotions this strong before —negative ones, anyway. She had given Ryoga the benefit of the doubt, tried to see him not as the one who destroyed Ranma's happiness at every turn, but as someone who could be saved before destroying lives. It had worked out for the best, and the lost boy had been gone long enough to make Nabiki think he really was trying to change. Even Kasumi had said the boy appeared to be in deep thought when he left; muttering about whether or not he was to blame.

Akane.

Akane was proving that she, if she ever went to Jusenkyo, would most likely end up in the Spring of Drowned Donkey. _Very tragic tale of donkey that fall into spring and drown so many years ago. Now whoever falls in, turns into giant jackass when hit with cold water._ A small smile and giggle escaped from her lips. She knew from Cologne that Jusenkyo brought out hidden character flaws—like Genma—or corrected an imbalance—such as giving Ranma, the eternal male chauvinist, a female side to dispel the bigotry his father had taught him about the female gender.

But some had truly deserved the curse, as a sort of karmic payback. She remembered Herb getting the same curse as Ranma, hell, even Ryoga in the previous timeline had deserved to become a pig, never looking above the ground, never truly seeing what was before him.

But that was beside the point. She was here waiting for her jackass…sister to show up and prepare for a pounding. Part of her was worried that Akane could be able to win; after all, she had a hit that could launch a pig-tailed martial artist from one side of the Nerima Ward to the other. Even if she had been only practicing for an hour or so a day for the last ten years, she still made easy work of the Hentai Horde every morning before Ranma showed up.

Of course, she had taken care of ten guys in a park who were all trying to land a punch on her, and they moved quicker than Akane. _I can beat her ass. I MUST BEAT HER ASS! She can't be allowed to keep acting like this. I won't let her ruin the Tendo name because the little girl refuses to grow up. She has to pay for what she did to Ranma. He might not love me, or even be able to love me anymore, but I will avenge his honor, if nothing else._

Her eyes snapped open, looking at the clock, reading how her sister now had seconds to arrive, before turning towards the field entrance and seeing Akane marching towards her, wearing her white training gi. _She thinks this is a training match!_ "Glad to see you made it, sister dear. I was afraid your ego decided to bow out and finally allow you a glimpse of reality."

Akane stood before her on the other side of the center field circle. "I'll give you one last chance, Nabiki, to drop this. Family shouldn't fight like this."

The fury began to burn in Nabiki's eyes. "How dare you claim to know what we should fight about after what you did! Because of your arrogance, I may have lost Ranma forever. The whole reason I had to live after that bastard of a husband ruined my life. Now you have the gall to think you can claim the moral high ground and get out of this. No, sister dear, you'll pay for the stupidity that we let you continue. Today, Akane Tendo learns there are consequences for her actions; the princess gets dethroned."

"Nabiki, quit this. You're fighting over a pervert! This isn't right."_ What the hell was the spiel about a husband?_ Akane was trying to appeal to her sister. Truthfully, a part of her wanted to take Nabiki out for punching her with that cheap shot in the dining room; after all, no one cheats and tries to beat Akane Tendo. But another part of her realized she shouldn't be fighting her sister. Nabiki was weak compared to Akane and, despite how much she used to enjoy it when the three sisters sparred against each other, it would not prevent her from trying to hurt Nabiki for the insult. "Give up now. I don't want to hurt you."

"A fine thing to say now, Akane, after you made everyone think I betrayed Ranma; after you sold pictures of his cursed form to Kuno, knowing damn well he would come to me asking for more; after you spread those rumors about Ranma around the school. You know how hard a time he was having with that side of him—how he was trying to accept the fact he might never get cured. But did you care? No! You only saw a guy who had a curse those assholes who chase you would die to have and immediately jumped to the conclusion he must be a pervert. Well, Akane, I can tell you with utmost certainty that Ranma is the kindest, gentlest, most honorable person you will ever meet. And if you can't see reason, then maybe me beating the hell out of you and stripping your crown will make you see the truth."

Nabiki launched what she felt was a slow punch, and smirked as Akane barely dodged it, trying to flip out of the way like a beginner was taught to. _This will be fun!_ Nabiki had already decided she wouldn't use any of her Amazon moves against Akane. It just wasn't fair and, more than likely, Akane would just blame the superior speed and strength as a cheating tactic; forgetting both the facts that Nabiki was training her in those same skills, and that their school was titled Anything Goes, so cheating just didn't exist.

_Of course, that never stopped her from "cheating" with those super noodles and that enchanted training outfit. No; if Akane can't do it better than you, then you are cheating by using it._

But as the punches and kicks were launched—and when Akane was delivering them, blocked—Nabiki failed to notice that, like Akane, her rage was growing. She had spent so much time trying to save her and watching the results fall short, that she was beginning to release enough adrenaline to break through her Ice Queen façade. Her rage had been building from her time in the previous timeline. "I don't know why I even bothered to help you, Akane!" The anger and the rush of battle were causing her tongue and mind to slip. In truth, her future self had been able to fight among the best Amazons and never once lose her cool. Her past self had done the same in the underworld of Nerima and Furinkan; maintaining her cool while dealing with people who seemed utterly ruled by their emotions, like her sister.

But now, she had forgotten an important fact: since the merger of the two to create the new Nabiki, she had never had to face an opponent that she felt rage and anger towards. She should have noticed it in how she confronted Akane at home. But now, she was too far gone. Her rage demanded vengeance and acknowledgement of the crimes. "Ryoga…Ryoga was able to change; he was able to grow. You know that asshole spent the better part of a decade hunting down Ranma; first because of bread, and then because of you! Every time you cried your little spoiled eyes out, he attacked Ranma. Hell, I bet you always knew your beloved P-chan was actually Ryoga, but you got off on the fact that Ranma could never tell you! You couldn't have been that stupid in a house full of people with Jusenkyo curses that the pig with a spotted yellow bandana and the Lost Boy who wore them were the same person!"

Akane began to lose her concentration and her anger. "What the hell are you talking about, Nabiki? Who the hell is P-chan?"

Nabiki just ignored her and continued to push her speed and strength up slightly, trying to further press home how outclassed Akane was. "But noooo, you just couldn't stand that you weren't the best. You couldn't stand that Akane Tendo didn't even rank in the top six million martial artists in the world. It was always 'I am the best' or 'I am a martial artist too, Ranma' or my favorite; 'You cheated'. How could he cheat BITCH, WE PRACTICE ANYTHING GOES?"

Getting a little scared, Akane pulled out her mallet and tried to deliver an overhead shot, only to have Nabiki pull up fast and sever the mallet head from the handle, causing the head to fall to the side, tripping Akane. She was able to stand back up before Nabiki's fist hit the ground, creating a small crater. "Damn it, Nabiki, what the hell has gotten into you?"

"Me? ME? I'll tell you what's gotten into me! It was the fact that my selfish BITCH of a sister thinks I need her help. She thinks I need her protection. THE TRUTH IS YOU CAN'T EVEN PROTECT YOURSELF! DO YOU KNOW HOW OFTEN ON A MONTHLY AVERAGE RANMA HAD TO SAVE YOUR ASS? AND WHAT DID HE GET? 'RANMA NO BAKA' AND A MALLET UPSIDE HIS HEAD FOR HIS TROUBLES! YOU COULD NEVER ADMIT YOU NEEDED HELP, BUT YOU THINK WE NEED YOUR HELP?" Nabiki continued to release punches and kicks at her sister, countering her feeble attacks with throws and easily plowing through her defenses. Her goal had changed. It no longer was the simple embarrassment of her sister—using her superior speed and knowledge of Akane's pitiful fighting style to stay ahead—but to make Akane suffer for everything she had done to Ranma; not only in this timeline, but in the previous one as well.

By now Akane was becoming nervous. Despite the occasional glancing hit delivered to her older sister, Nabiki had demolished her mallet, as well as left several distinct bruises along her chest and legs. _She has to be cheating, how else could she be beating me? Every time I try and hit her, she just avoids it and hits me with a hard punch. She isn't even trying to use those techniques she tried to teach me! She is cheating!_

_Well, I'll just have to use one of those new moves against her! She's obviously crazy, blaming me for shit I never did. It'll serve her right to get hurt! And when we get finished, and I prove to her I am the best martial artist, then she can get back to teaching me those moves that father doesn't have the time to teach me. After all, it's her duty to make certain that the true heir of Anything Goes knows all those moves._ With that thought, Akane began to lead Nabiki into the spiral.

But Nabiki was beyond thoughts of her own welfare. The suppressed rage both her and her elder counterpart had felt towards her sister was at full boil. "He gave you everything you worthless bitch! He gave up on the other women chasing him for you and you had to FUCK ANOTHER GUY TO PROVE TO EVERYONE HE WAS TRULY YOURS! Akane Tendo, because of you I have seen hell, and I will make you pay for making Ranma see it as well!"

Akane continued to follow the spiral, hating the fact that she was being forced to use this strong of an attack against her sister, but realizing it was the only way to win; to free her from this supposed "love" of Ranma _After all, she's obviously crazy. She keeps blaming me for stuff I've never done. And she thought she could beat me—the best martial artist in Nerima._

"You never deserved his love; his devotion. He killed a fucking god for you and it still wasn't enough to earn your trust! But all you could do was fuck his best friend! Why? Why couldn't you return his love you cold-hearted BITCH?"

Nabiki's rage continued to grow, allowing Akane's meager control over her own emotions to act as the cold chi needed for it. Finally the spiral was complete and Akane quickly thrust her fist upwards. "Hiryü Shöten Ha!" She stared with satisfaction as the now formed tornado sucked her obviously crazy sister into itself, surrounding Akane.

Nabiki could feel the sides of the tornado trying to suck her battle aura from her to feed it, nearly tearing it from her body. _Damn it, that bitch caught me in my own stupidity. I should have recognized the spiral! _She forced her mind to calm itself, trying to produce her old Soul of Ice, but found the tornado barely weakening. _Shit! I can't reduce it quickly enough!_

_What a second, shouldn't it be feeding off of my entire aura? Why is it dragging off from my limbs?_ Nabiki tried to open her eyes, barely pushing away the fear of the tornado sucking them out—a fear that Cologne had worked for days trying to remove from her.

What she found shocked her. A Hiryü Shöten Ha tornado normally bent slightly as it ascended, trying to maintain a straight column.

But Akane's tornado was wobbling too much, nearly bending upon itself, creating a null zone in the center where the spiral was not pulling in any battle aura, resulting in low power loss as Nabiki lowered hers.

She smiled. This warp created a second effect: her body had to be in direct contact outside the null zone in order to draw her aura; aura released inside the null zone could not be absorbed without a flesh connection to the normal absorption zone of the twister.

_I have a straight path to get to her. _But all thoughts of thrusting herself down the null zone were quickly disposed of, as she would most assuredly come into contact with the absorption zone; even now she couldn't keep herself steady enough to do so.

Which left one option: she would need to use an attack she was trying to grow beyond. She would need to use a powerful chi or ki attack to force it through the null zone with any hopes of impacting Akane and destroying the funnel.

In her current state, she knew there was only one she had any likelihood of pulling off.

So she began to play images through her mind; painful images of the man she loved. She saw Ranma constantly hit by Akane for some perceived mess-up. She saw Ranma arrive at her house sporting bloody cuts and bruises. She saw Ranma crying at Akane's infidelity.

Then she remembered the most painful memory she had; more painful then the memory of her last few moments with her mother: she remembered the look in his eyes when he thought she had betrayed him to Kuno.

She thrust her arms forward, waiting for the rotation to be right, a sick and dark green aura growing on her body, glowing more than someone with her limited time of training in this time should have been able to generate, feeding the tornado. "For Ranma, for my heart, for the dark attitude you have lived by, I give you this: Shishi Höködan!"

The large green ball of depression chi flew down the pipe, slowly shrinking as it fought the upward force of the tornado.

Akane kept her eyes upward, watching the funnel of the tornado, a smug look on her face for mastering the move before her sister did. _I beat you sister! Now we can put this mess behind us and you can get back to making me the best!_

Her eyes grew wide as she saw a dark green light coming down the funnel towards her, fear keeping her from moving anything but lowering her arms and bracing for an impact. _How? How can she attack inside the tornado?

* * *

_

Ranma stared at the stars, wondering what he would do now. True that he felt betrayed by Nabiki; but her eyes, when he assumed she was to blame revealed, a depth of hurt that he had never seen before, save the few times he was able to look into a mirror and reminisce about his old life. Before he could continue his tirade of how depressing Nabiki's apparent betrayal had made him feel, he caught sight of a tornado forming a mile away.

_Damn it, that looks like what Nabiki said the Hiryü Shöten Ha was supposed to generate, but I thought the funnel was supposed to go straight to the heavens. _Before he could compare what he knew of the technique to what he was seeing, he caught sight of a green light traveling down the funnel, and impacting on the ground, destroying the base for the funnel and causing the tornado to fall apart.

_I don't know what's going on, but I need to get there now!

* * *

_

Without further thoughts on Nabiki, he leapt from the tree and began to roof-hop to the explosion. No matter what, someone was bound to be hurt and would need help.

Besides, maybe they could show him that green light technique.

Nabiki fell hard upon the earth, feeling her already bruised ribs scream under the strain, her left arm hanging by her side, sore and numb in several places from where the blast had sent her outside the null zone and into the pounding winds of the funnel. Simply having a null zone inside the funnel did not spare her from the physical harm being inside the tornado would and did cause. _Damn, I forgot how hard the final stop was! But I gotta finish it._ She forced her body, now sending more signals of pain than her senses should have been able to handle, to stand.

Making her way to the hole dug out by Akane's final move and her own counter, she saw her sister lying on her back, her gi ripped to shreds and covered with small amounts of blood; her skin covered in bruises, cuts, or dirt. _She was stronger than me physically but she never had a chance. The moment I was able to tap into my chi, she never had a chance._

_I'll work on why my Shishi Höködan_ _was so large later._

_Now I need to finish this._

Finally standing above Akane, she looked down upon her sister. Akane's breaths were coming in gasps quicker than Nabiki's. Her condition far worse as well, considering she had received a near perfect Shishi Höködan that destroyed what energy the insane woman had had left. Slowly raising her good arm and forming a fist, she smiled at her defeated sister, Akane's eyes locking on to her. "I win, sister dear. It ends now. Just know I didn't cheat, I just never taught you a move that would only get yourself killed."

The fist descended.

Ranma witnessed this as he quickly approached the field, noticing also how damaged it was. He tried to scream at Nabiki to stop, but could only watch as the fist connected, a shower of dirt and rocks flying into the air. His mind became covered with fearful images of Nabiki having punched through her own sister's head, but the fears were quickly silenced when he got close enough.

Her hand had hit the ground beside Akane's head.

"Little sister, you are no longer the heir to the Tendo School or Dojo. You will explain everything to Ranma and beg his forgiveness for what you did. Or next time, I won't miss."

Slowly turning, she began to walk away a few feet towards a fallen tree before turning and facing her audience. "Get her to Tofu's, Ranma. I'll survive but she'll have some problems if you don't hurry."

Ranma stood beside her battered sister, but still looked at her with worry. "But, Nabiki—"

Her face became unyielding to her emotions. "No buts! She's more wounded than me, so get her there and come and get me. Now MOVE!"

Ranma saw her rage; saw her resistance to his desire to save her first. _I don't know what happened, but I know Akane needs help first._ "I'll be back, just stay alive till I return." Grabbing the injured Tendo from the ground and holding her carefully, he began to roof-hop to Dr. Tofu's, praying he would return in time to save Nabiki as well.

Nabiki, as soon as he was out of sight, made her way to a fallen tree and sat beside it. Placing her hand on the ground, she winced from the pain her sore body invoked as she touched the earth. A small river of blood pouring down her injured arm; a sight she had kept hidden from the man she loved, knowing he wouldn't leave if she was obviously hurt worse than her sister. _Damn, the tornado did more damage to me than I thought. I'm lucky to be conscious, even if the move was flawed._

Nabiki carefully began to gather the ki from the earth itself, trying to focus it to heal her wounds; a trick Cologne had taught her. She knew Ranma would be going at top speed to get Akane to Dr. Tofu's. In about ten to fifteen minutes, depending on how the wind blew, he would return. Also, depending on how alert her sister was, she would no doubt try and tell Ranma about Nabiki's supposedly "mad" rantings. _I'll need to explain everything to him now. I doubt the bitch will be awake long enough to make her confession, and when she is, it'll no doubt be how I had to have cheated to beat her._

But Nabiki had another more important problem at the moment.

She also knew there was someone else watching her, but had no idea who. She should have picked up on it before or during the battle—whenever this person had shown up—but had been too occupied with her own rage to notice. Half the ki that she absorbed from nature was diverted to hopefully maintaining some form of defense against whoever was watching her. Nabiki could only hope that whoever it was would not try to confront her, or at the least be weak enough that Nabiki could hold her off until Ranma returned.

However it seemed that the fates that brought chaos to Ranma's life did not like the fact that she was trying to bring order to it.

They apparently wanted revenge.

And now, they had a chance to get it.

"How strange girl know Amazon moves?"

Nabiki sighed. She definitely did not have the body or the energy to take on the scandalous Amazon, even if she was at peak form. She turned towards the girl and spoke in perfect Mandarin, "Hello, Xian Pu."

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	15. Showdown Part 2

**Ranma ½**

**Chapter 15**

**Showdown Part 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First off, I am sorry this chapter took so long; I was constantly adjusting it, trying to bring in more detail and believability in Nabiki's desires to make Ranma's life better.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave.

I find that if I let things sit for a while in my head; I can play them out farther. Plus by trying and keeping my chapters between 2500 and 3000+ words, it helps keep me from making the story slide out of control, turning a diamond to a pile of shit.

I also plan to start sending these out to have someone else proofread them before I post them. Volunteers are welcome. I have found a website (wwwwot-cluborg.ukRanmaFAQartsspecial.html#ranma1) where the moves have been listed. Just replace the with /. If I spell them incorrectly, then I apologize, as this is my guide.

If you need help, have questions about why my plot is turning out a certain way, or would like some help to bust through your own writer's block or write a new story on your own, tell me either through e-mail or reviews. I'm glad to help when I can.

Now, on with the show.

Special thanks to Howard Russell for the main conflict idea and the pre-reading.

* * *

_Okay, I, for one, will admit I haven't seen everything in this world. I've seen a man who defeated not only the descendent of a ki dragon, but also an immortal phoenix god. I've seen shape changing curses, split personalities, food that can walk and fight, and people without a sense of reality that still move forward in the world. I've seen people with no sense of decency make others cringe. I've seen many things._

_I never, and I mean never, thought I would see the day Akane Tendo could pull off a Hiryü Shöten Ha. _

_Okay, granted, she pulled off one of the most fucked-up versions I've ever seen. To do what she did, she only needed to be slightly calmer than she ever was in the previous timeline. I, on the other hand, must have been putting out way more hot ki than she was ever able to produce._

_I'm reminded of the revision Ranma once told me about, reversing the flows to make the dragon descend instead of ascend._

_Damn, I could've reversed it and used it on her!_

_Oh well, she's still alive. And knowing my little sister, I'll have another opportunity to teach her._

_But that's beside the point._

_My sister, with an imperfect Soul of Ice—or whatever she was using—was able to create a warped Hiryü Shöten Ha and launch my ass into the sky. If she had a better control over her ego and her rampant emotions, she might have won._

_I was just lucky her control was fleeting at best. If not, I never would've had the null zone with which to defeat her._

_But it came at a cost._

_I had to use the Shishi Höködan._

_I never wanted to use that._

_I remember when Cologne told me about it, showed me the scroll with the technique. I remember watching Ranma and Ryoga each practice their variations of it._

_But I knew enough not to make it a main weapon of choice. Any emotion you use is bad. It makes you more prone to it._

_And if it fails…_

_Shishi Höködan._

_If you fail…the emotion changes to depression so quickly, you have no time for afterthoughts. You shoot a Shishi Höködan into the air and wait for it to come down and kill you._

_That is why the Shishi Höködan was the only one written down; it isn't a beginning technique, it is the ending result._

_It's what you use to kill yourself. _

_While I had hope...while my future self had a path outside of what I did to survive, I worked hard to build a pure ki attack. Even the Amazon Elders agreed with me. A pure ki attack would plow through an emotional chi one and it wouldn't change the user's mentality any. No matter how many times you fired one off, you'd still be the same after every shot._

_I was close, I knew that much. I remember the feeling when I was close to mastering a move; I remember how I felt when I mastered a move my mother or father showed me._

_But then the rug was yanked out from under me by my worthless husband._

_Don't get me wrong, I had no problem that he was gay. If you swing that way, and you can find someone who completes you, who makes you happy in this often Kami-forsaken world, I say go for it. I have no right to interfere if what you do does not hurt me or any others. That was one of the things I hated about those nut jobs who protested about such things; claiming a gay couple has no right to raise a kid going on that they'll turn the kid gay._

_Yeah, right. Like the straight parents who had the gay children did such a glorious job._

_What I hated him for was using me. Forcing me to be unhappy while he was hell bent on saving his own ass, his own sense of fitting in. He destroyed my life and the life of countless others simply because he couldn't handle being seen as a gay man._

_Tell that to the thousands of people he sent to unemployment trying to make me come back to him._

_I had to give up the art; I had to give up the dream of being good enough for Ranma when he returned._

_I had to survive._

_And for the last three weeks, I have pushed myself beyond what were my limits to try and get back to my…well, would former glory be the right expression when you're in your past before you even had a glory to state it being former?_

_Whatever._

_It should have been months or even years before I could pull off a pure ki technique._

_Well, it should have been. Fighting my sister, I found my old reserves. Reserves that by all rights should not exist, should not be there._

_But they were. My chi and ki reserves were at their levels at the height of my training with the Amazons._

_How, or more importantly, why they were there is beyond me. I know for a fact that the only thing that came back was my future personality, my soul from that time._

_Could my reserves have been connected directly to my soul?_

_I'll have to ask some masters and maybe even Cologne when she arrives. I doubt she'd believe that Akane pulled of the Hiryü Shöten Ha without the Soul of Ice._

"How strange girl know Amazon moves?"

_Then again, I'm assuming I'll live long enough to ask her._

Nabiki sighed. She definitely did not have the strength or the energy to take on the scandalous Amazon, even if she'd been at peak form. She turned towards the girl and spoke in perfect Mandarin, "Hello, Xian Pu."

_Oh, and my day was going so well too._

* * *

For a normal person—normal as in the rest of the world, not normal as in Nerima-normal—it would be a good thirty minute walk from the park to Dr. Tofu's clinic.

For a martial artist of Ranma's caliber, with roof hopping, it would take about seven to ten minutes.

He made it there in slightly less than four.

Akane had been cradled in his arms the whole way, now wearing his red silk shirt to give her some modesty. All she could do was occasionally mumble about how what her sister did was impossible, about how she couldn't have lost. She mumbled about how Nabiki had to have been crazy to yell at her for things she never did.

Ranma, for the most part, wasn't even paying much attention. He was focused on getting her to the clinic and going back for Nabiki. She may not have looked hurt, but even he himself wouldn't have gotten out of such a battle without a scratch, and he was leagues ahead of the girls.

_But why am I so scared? Why am I so scared at seeing them hurt like this?_

The nightmares had been occurring more and more frequently, still showing him/her drowning, still the look of defeat on his face, and still holding a photo of people he couldn't make out. The torture of it was taking a toll on him. His emotions were coming in surges, often overwhelming his control over them and adding fuel to his fighting spirit. Add to that the rumors at school and the incident today…well, he was lucky to have a straight thought.

"DOC, INCOMING!"

He burst through the doors and found the doctor already prepared for him. Ranma ran with Tofu to the examination table and laid Akane down. As he tried to withdraw his arms so he could leave and fetch Nabiki, Akane grasped his arms painfully, crying out about how Nabiki had gone mad.

She couldn't continue much after that, as Tofu hit an instant unconsciousness shiatsu point.

"Doc, I'll be back with Nabiki. Do what you can for Akane."

Tofu wanted to ask him about what had occurred, but Ranma had just quickly left as he had arrived.

The doctor only shook his head, before turning his attention to the youngest Tendo and began to treat her wounds. _Whatever hit her must have packed quite a wallop. I don't think I've ever seen wounds like these before. It's almost like she was at ground-zero for an explosion.

* * *

_

"So, you speak this one's language. This one was beginning to think all Japanese were too stuck up to learn our language."

Nabiki stared at the Amazon. "Be quiet, Xian Pu. You have the gall to trespass in my lands, and yet call my people stuck up? You had best remember that these are not your lands...and here, our laws reign supreme."

Xian Pu stared at the woman who dared to challenge her. "You believe you may defeat this one?"

Nabiki could only smile. "Don't tell me that the great-granddaughter of Elder Khu Lon has such disrespect as to challenge the victor of a battle when she is barely able to stand. This one would have thought that children, such as you, were taught better. Perhaps, the Elder has spent too much time teaching you how to fight and not enough teaching you how to act.

"This is not the land of the Chinese Amazons, Xian Pu. This is the land of this one's Amazons. Our rules are different than yours, so do not dare act as though you are the superior here. Now state your business, or let me be so that I might patch myself up some before my beloved returns."

Xian Pu squinted her eyes, trying to establish dominance in the situation. But Nabiki was too confident, too proud to be undermined by the foreign girl. "This one meant no disrespect. This one was just unaware that Japanese Amazons existed, let alone that you knew so much about us."

Nabiki smiled, enjoying the sight of a humbled Amazon. She had been planning this event for weeks. She knew she would have to play things out just right, especially if she wanted to keep Shampoo from having any claim to Ranma. It would be bad enough with Ukyo, the only girl to have a valid claim on Ranma. Here, she could try and eliminate some competition. "You are forgiven. The Amazons here are few, but proud. We have little use for some of the backwards laws your Elders insist on sticking with. We prefer to grow and adapt to the world, rather than hide in Joketsuzoku. We would prefer not to have to wait for strong allies to come to us if we should problems arise with the Phoenix or Musk. I, myself, have found a strong male, who was betrothed to me at birth. And just because you do not know of us, does not mean we do not know of what our sisters are up to."

Xian Pu was shocked. "He did not defeat you for Right of Marriage?"

"He could have." Nabiki smiled at how much joy she got from her sparing sessions with Ranma. Oh yes, he could have easily defeated her, even with her Amazon Wu Shu training. "But such laws as the Kiss of Marriage and the Kiss of Death are of little value in the outside world. Why kill a person better than you when you can get them to train you? Why accept any male who can defeat you in battle when his personality may be more harmful to your people than his blood? We are to be wed for love, not by old rules which have long since passed being useful."

The two stayed silent for a bit, while Shampoo watched Nabiki draw ki into herself from the environment. Her great-grandmother had mentioned such techniques, but had not yet taught them to Shampoo. Maybe she could get this Japanese Amazon to teach them to her. She had shown great skill in defeating that challenger.

"Why are you here, Xian Pu?"

"This one is chasing a female named Ranma. She has red hair and is a great fighter. She defeated this one at the tournament and this one must hunt her down."

Nabiki slowly raised her head, focusing on the Amazon with a furrowed brow and squinted eyes. "You would dare bring a Kiss of Death challenge onto my lands? You would dare hunt down a person for simply being better than you?"

Nabiki shakily stood, bringing her full gaze on Shampoo. "Your people's arrogance seems to exceed that of Saffron and Prince Herb combined. To think the Elders had truly turned as senile as to send you to take on such a chore. Surely they must have forced you to give the Kiss."

Shampoo looked away. "This one gave it after she defeated me for the feast."

Nabiki shook her head. "Then you will need to contact your Elder, Xian Pu. You see, the woman you chase is my beloved. One would think that those who live so close to the Accursed Pools would make certain that what they were fighting was in its true form."

Her eyes opened wider then they ever had. "You…you mean that the female Ranma is actually a cursed male. How? No male can be better than a female!"

Shaking her head—painful as it may be—Nabiki continued to smile. "If that were true, no Amazon of your tribe would ever marry. My beloved was trained in ways no Amazon would ever train. His teacher had no care if he survived or not. It is only recently he has begun to see my people's way—that both male and female warriors can be the best; no one gender greater than the other. As a reward for his growing acceptance of this equality in fighting, I have begun to teach him our fighting style. This one wishes her beloved to be prepared should our Amazon sisters in China call for our help. But with your elders and how you yourself have been taught to view outsides not of your tribe, I fear they will not ask for help until they are already falling into their graves."

"Nabiki!"

The two turned to see Ranma standing before them. She could tell that he was nervous with Shampoo so close to her, so she decided she would have to postpone her efforts to control the situation for a while longer. "Xian Pu, this is my beloved. While you are here, you will obey me as you would your Elders. Cross me, and this one will ensure you return to your people with such disgrace, they will either permanently lock you in a cursed form, or throw you in the Spring of Drowned Boy. Does this one make herself clear?"

"Yes."

Nabiki turned towards Ranma, switching back to Japanese. "Don't worry; she won't be hunting you now. But I would still be careful around her. Now, let's get to the clinic."

* * *

It was close to dawn before she woke up. While the doctor had let her stay awake through most of his treatment—even allowing Shampoo to help him—he had insisted she sleep.

He didn't even need to use the pressure point he had on Akane. She drifted off as soon as Ranma laid her down on a clean bed.

But she was awake; the glowing numbers of the clock on the wall informing her that sunrise was still an hour away. Not that she had much to wake up for, mind you. School was closed while they repaired the damage from the explosion. Akane had been lucky no one was killed from the stunt she pulled.

Moving her head slowly, so as not to make any of her stiff muscles scream out again, she spied a hand still on her bed. _He stayed; he stayed to watch over me._

Ranma had his head down on the bed, his arm still staying outreached, as if he had been holding her hand during the night.

She smiled; a feeling of happiness returning to her at the sight of the man she loved, having enough trust and care for her to still be there for her.

But he wasn't asleep.

"Nabiki we need to talk."

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.


	16. Aftermath

**Chapter 16**

**Aftermath**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First, don't forget to check out my new homepage.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

Thanks to my proofreader, Howard. Without him, my stories would definitely have a lower quality to them.

* * *

_Nothing is ever quite the same when the person you love more than anything tells you those dreaded words:_ "Nabiki, we need to talk."

_How, exactly, am I supposed to respond to that? There isn't a soul out there that hears that phrase and thinks, "Oh goody, it must be super news." _

_How many relationships heard that phrase before flat lining?_

_I mean, what am I supposed to tell him? How much can I tell him? Will he believe me?_

"Not here; can you take me to the park again? We can talk there, and I don't want anyone to hear this."

_Will he trust me? Will he go with it?_

_I know some things I already have to plan for. I have to plan for Shampoo to not trust the Japanese Amazon idea. With a great-grandmother like Cologne, you can bet she has some deviousness in her. So I can bet she'll test me, at least until she gets a message back from Cologne. And then, the jig is up._

"Why do ya want to go back ta the park?"

_He still doesn't trust me fully. He might never trust me now, thanks to my ungrateful bitch of a sister. She's most likely to blow my cover in front of Shampoo. Hell, I doubt she's even told Ranma what she did yet._

"I know a healing technique to help myself, but I need to be surrounded by nature to provide the energy. A stale office is no place to get what I need. Please, Ranma, trust me."

_As he wraps my battered body in a blanket I can't help but feel a burst of hope. Maybe my sister didn't succeed in destroying all of his trust in me._

_Despite the warm feeling I have as he holds me close and jumps out the window, roof-hopping to the park, a twinge of doubt resides in me._

_What if it is I who fully remove his trust?_

* * *

Ranma sat her down beside a tree, watching as she pulled her good arm from the blanket and thrust her fingers into the dirt. "Just for my own peace of mind, what are ya doin'?"

She giggled a little, wincing as her ribs still hurt. "I was taught a technique where an injured person can draw ki from nature and use it to speed up their healing. And what have I told you about speaking like that?"

Ranma turned to the side for a moment, before returning his sight to her. His eyes grew as he watched her ki slowly increase before leveling off. He forced his amazement away: his desire to ask her to teach him that little technique. Hell, Kami-sama knew he could have used that on a few occasions, but that could wait. "So, what exactly did you want Akane to explain to me?"

Her cheerful mood quickly went foul at the mention of her sister's name. "That bitch was the one who started the rumors, Ranma. Hell, she even fucked up the hot water at the school and could have killed someone when the boilers exploded."

"And the pictures you took—"

"I said I took pictures of Akane." She looked at him, looking as his eyes still looked questioningly at her. "Before you came, Ranma, I was the one who had to bring money into the house. The only methods I had to do that weren't the most legal or ethical. But when you need to find a way to keep your family home—keep your family together and happy, to keep the house running—what would you do?"

"I wouldn't do that."

"Spare me the sanctimonious act. I know the real reason why Shampoo is after you." She watched as he paled slightly in the moonlight that filtered from the horizon. "You and I both know how far we will sully ourselves and our own personal honor to save those we care most for. You claim to have a problem fighting girls, but that never stopped you from fighting Shampoo to save your father from her.

"For me, it was selling clean photos of my sister—just working out, lounging around. I never sold a lewd or dirty picture of her to anyone, and believe me, there was plenty of requests for it. But I would never do that to her. Too bad she never had that same idea for pictures of you."

"But Kuno said he bought them from you. He was telling the truth, it was in his eyes."

She shook her head. "I talked to his loyal lackey afterwards. He was lead to believe it was me. She left the pictures in a locker, and he left the money. If it had been me, I would have done the transaction face-to-face.

"The crazy thing is, the little brat thought she was doing me a favor. She thought you were blackmailing me somehow. She wanted to make you leave to protect me. Hard to believe when she tried so hard to make you look like a pervert and make me the fall girl."

Ranma slowly moved beside her, sitting down. Nabiki was tempted to lean on him, to try and gain some small comfort from him. But she knew he wasn't ready for that.

"So, she made my life hell, just to get rid of me. Why? What did I ever do to her? Hell, I helped her."

"And therein lies the answer." She could tell he was confused, but she leaned onto his arm a little more. "Akane has always seen herself as the best, even if she's never worked hard at it. You've dedicated your entire life to the Art, Ranma. She maybe dedicates an hour or two a day, and still she expects to be the best. She thought having the title of heir to the school made her better, justified her existence. Believe me; I made more than enough excuses for her behavior in the past. True, she used to be a nice girl, but what she did went way beyond that. She sees both of us as threats to her little world where she's the best."

She leaned a little more into him, tears going down her face. "You have no idea how much I wanted to believe she was capable of changing, of growing as a martial artist and as a person. I didn't want to believe she could ever do something like this."

"If you want me to believe you, tell me the whole truth. How did you stop Shampoo? How do you know why I had to fight her? Better yet, how do you know any of this?"

She could feel her heart breaking again. She could see him disappearing into the night, gone forever. "Please, please promise me that you won't leave again. Please promise me that you'll not abandon me again. Do that and I'll tell you everything."

Ranma sat beside her, trying to weigh the words she had told him. She was afraid of it, that much was certain. She was afraid of him disappearing again but he had only been gone a few hours. Did he want to risk so much to stay, though? Could her secret be so bad that he might be too freaked to stay?

She taught him to use his mind and watch his words. So he did and came to a decision. "I promise to stay until you ask me to leave, on my honor. Unless of course, you're really a guy cursed like me." He tried to laugh.

She did, keeping her giggles small so as to not upset her healing ribs. "No, I'm one hundred percent woman." She was so tempted to ask him to check, but she needed to be serious.

"Ranma, what would you say if I told you this had all happened before? What if I told you I lived this life before? I watched you marry Akane. I watched as she slept with Ryoga just to prove that she owned you. What if I told you I was granted a chance to change all of that?"

* * *

Shampoo woke early in the morning. Her sleep had been somewhat restless. In the last day, she had found her target, but found out her target was not a red-haired female, but a black-haired male—a male who was claimed by a Japanese Amazon.

She had never heard of such a tribe. True, she still had much to learn from her great-grandmother. But she would have thought she would have been warned that, while chasing a Japanese girl, she might run across Japanese Amazons.

So what could that mean? Could this girl be lying? She remembered some stories of 'He That Must Not Be Named.' From what she had been told, he was Japanese, and had stolen many Amazon scrolls and treasures. Could he have made this tribe?

No, that made no sense. That...male...was nothing more than a pervert. To believe he could create a Japanese Amazon tribe was preposterous.

Could women of this land have defeated the pervert, and used his knowledge to form their own tribe? That was a possibility. After all, this Nabiki had pulled off an energy attack, while her sister had managed to pull off a weak variation of the Hiryü Shöten Ha, neither of which was written in the technique scrolls taken, nor had the Amazons yet mastered any energy projection techniques.

And they had studied the Musk royalty.

So what was left for her to do?

She needed to make contact with her home to get further instructions. As things stood, they would not believe her, and she might end up cursed at Jusenkyo for it.

She would make contact with her great-grandmother and await her response. After seeing how well she had been able to assist him with the two sisters, the male that ran this healing clinic had offered her a job and a place to stay. So, for now, her room and board was secure. Truth be told, a warm meal and a soft bed would be well accepted after the hell she had gone through tracking Ranma. And there was no law that said Shampoo could not teach what healing knowledge she had, and this Tofu had much more knowledge that she could learn by the time the Elder arrived.

Heading downstairs, she stayed as quiet as she could, heading for the phone and dialing her village. Truthfully, she was a little frightened. First, she was calling her grandmother while it was still late at night in her village.

Second, she would have to call home collect.

The Elder would not be happy. She might bring cursed water just for that.

* * *

The sun was just beginning to come up by the time Nabiki finished her story, ending at waking up after her mental merger between her past self and future self. Her throat was slightly parched, but that could wait until they returned to the clinic. By now her ribs were only slightly sore, and her minor cuts and bruises were gone. Only the most severe injuries remained, and they were reduced to minor pains.

But Ranma now seemed to be in worse pain than she had felt. He was confused after hearing so many details about events he had no prior knowledge about, yet they were all going to come down on him. Future battles he would have to fight, challenges and fiancées that would come and claim him, perverts and Amazons he'd have to tackle, foes that would use him as a tool.

How was he supposed to react? He had just found out everything that had originally happened: from his botched introduction to the Tendos to Herb and Saffron to his marriage and disappearance. He had discovered future engagements, the choice he made, the heart that was broken, the enchanting of a new love, and his mysterious disappearance that made the girl beside him become a better person.

Compared to that, the fact that his buddy Ucchan was really a girl and engaged to him was a small shock.

But in the back of his mind, he was wondering if maybe this was what the dream had been showing him. He had to wonder if that death he had seen was how his future self had dealt with Akane's betrayal and his own in sleeping with Nabiki.

Was that what he had become? Had he been so in love with that girl that he considered his one night with Nabiki to be his own betrayal? Did he believe that, by sleeping with Nabiki, **he** had been the one to fail the marriage?

He began to rub his temples, trying to understand what he had been told. "I'm so confused right now. I mean, why? Why did I do that stuff? I mean, why would they betray me like that? Why would I run away like Pops?"

"I don't know, Ranma. In that future, Ryoga always hated you because you were closer to Akane than he could ever be. Hell, I think Akane loved you in a way, even if she was an abusive monster. As for why you ran away...

"You always saw Akane as the first person to reach out to you. I guess you spent so much time around her, went through so much, you became dependent on her. That was the only reason I could see for why you would stick around through all that shit she put you through. You caught a glimpse of who she could be, and fell in love with that. So much so, that you were willing to put up with all the shit, just to be near that light. You became so devoted, I guess you saw our time together that night as betraying your love for her.

"The sad thing was, you weren't going to allow her attitude to continue anymore. You were going there to fix your marriage, to try and make the Akane you fell in love with be the one you spent your time with. But let's face it; we both married a couple of self-obsessed losers. By the time we finally figured that out, we were already trapped." She pulled his right arm away from his head and wrapped it behind her own, making him embrace her.

Tears began to pour from her face as she buried it in his shirt. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you this sooner, Ranma. I didn't want you to feel manipulated; I didn't want you to suffer again. Please don't be mad at me, please don't leave me! Please, at least keep me as a friend, no matter who you choose!"

Ranma tightened his hug on her, trying to resist placing the other arm around her. He had too much to think about right now, too many things to deal with.

But in the end, he wrapped both arms around her. He didn't know what he would do now, but he knew he would keep his promise to her. He would not leave her.

But what would happen to them in the future, even he had no idea.

* * *

"And that is all that has happened, Elder." Shampoo had just finished explaining her journey and the final night to Elder Cologne over the phone when she noticed that the sun was about to come up, and the owner of this house might inform Nabiki about her being on the phone.

"_I see, child. You did the right thing by contacting me. I can honestly say the tribe is not aware of any Japanese Amazons, but that is not to say that they do not exist. We will need to proceed carefully. _

"_I shall consult with the other Elders and make certain you do not face any punishment for failing to kill the female Ranma. Our tribe would be ill advised to not follow our own rules about Jusenkyo victims. If this Japanese Amazon story does not pan out, would you be adverse to delivering the Kiss of Marriage?"_

"This one does not know. Though he may be a strong warrior, it is obvious his other would fight for him. This one is not certain even the Xi Fa Xiang Gao would work on her. We may need to take different measures to induct them into the tribe. The female, Nabiki, seems to know energy attacks. If we can get her to teach us any alterations to Amazon techniques she knows, as well as any techniques she knows outside of ours, we may strengthen the tribe more than a single male could."

"_It is gratifying to see you are learning, my child. It inspires much confidence within me to see you taking things and making them work for the best of the tribe. I shall arrive within a few days. I want you to continue working for this Doctor Tofu Ono. Learn as much as you can about his healing techniques. Also, seek out this Nabiki and have her begin teaching you what she knows. Her fighting style last night would have been sloppy if the anger you sensed was correct, but you should be able to tell if an Amazon from our village did teach her, or if she is self-taught._

"_Until I arrive, you are not to deliver any Kisses: Death or Life. We wish to stay on good terms with them until we understand the situation. Make friends with them; enjoy their company. _

"_And if possible, enjoy your free time, child. You are out in the world, and it would serve you well in the future to learn what you can. But I also want you to enjoy yourself. You have spent too much time as it is, concentrating on your skills. Take some time for yourself. I look forward to seeing you when I arrive. Be well."_

"Be well, great-grandmother." Shampoo hung up the phone, knowing she had done the right thing.

Now she knew what she had to do. In a few hours, Nabiki would be fully healed, and was likely to begin training again after her fight with her sister. If she would be willing to spar with Shampoo, or even allow her to watch her sparring with Ranma, she would have a better idea where she stood against the two.

But she was more interested in the energy techniques that Nabiki could control. All of the tribe's references were based on what they observed the Musk Dynasty using, and it was dangerous to get too close unless you wanted to end up as a Musk Bride.

"Shampoo still not know why they no marry own women. Why always need animal and Drowned Girl Spring?"

She shook her head. That was another matter for another day. The Great Spirit only knew how many hours of debates the Amazons had spent on that very issue.

But now, she had the option to do something no one in her tribe had done, aside from a few Elders who would have hidden such abilities to further guard their own power: she would learn an energy attack. It would help ensure she would be the best of her village.

And depending on how Nabiki's story panned out, she might even be able to find a husband here as well.

She had a small smile as she went back to bed. She could get a few more hours in before the doctor would wake her, and she wanted to be well rested for when she began to observe her link to Japanese Amazons: Nabiki Tendo.

* * *

Ryoga had just started walking around again, enjoying the early morning sounds of the birds in the air, the cicadas making their usual noise in the green.

For once, Ryoga felt happy to be alive. He had come to terms with his past with Ranma, and what's more, his old self. Nabiki had been right; he had been blaming everyone for his own problems, instead of facing them head on.

The results had been the corruption of his Art. He knew now that he could have seriously hurt someone at that school.

It had showed a side of himself he didn't want to admit to, but had to face.

But now, he had faced his darkness, and was ready to do what he had wanted to for the last two years: have a showdown with Ranma Saotome.

It was true, he no longer blamed Ranma for missing the fight. Ryoga had finally accepted the fact that it was his own fault he was late. He no longer blamed Ranma for the curse. He blamed the stupid panda who shoved him towards the cliff and himself for following Ranma.

It was hard to accept that he had blame in his life, but he had to, to move on. And now that he had, his heart may have felt a bit heavier, but his soul was much lighter.

So Ryoga set course for Nerima. He had no clue where he was, aside from running across that village again where he had stopped that raging boar. But with his luck, he should arrive there within a week, two at most. Until then, he could enjoy the comfort of nature, the peace of the wild, and try and come up with a new technique to try and defeat Ranma with.

If anything, his Iron Cloth technique would endanger innocent bystanders, and he would not allow that to happen. Maybe they could find an empty lot or a field where they wouldn't have to worry about his curse activating or any innocents around to interfere or get in the way. They could have a full on brawl, just like they liked.

"DAMN IT TO HELL!"

Ryoga stopped and turned towards the voice, seeing a guy messing with what looked like a portable grill. "You need any help?"

The guy looked up towards him. "Nah, I just need to get a new valve gasket the next town I come to. My grill broke down. And I thought I was taking such good care of it too."

Ryoga had to laugh a little at that. "Nah. No matter how much you take care of things, they'll always break down on you sooner or later. Where you headed?"

The man slowly stood up, giving Ryoga the sight of a giant spatula strapped to his back. "Nowhere in particular. I'm just looking for some guys who screwed me over. You?"

"I'm just heading to Nerima to meet an old friend and fight him. We owe it to each other."

"Um, you do realize Nerima is in the opposite direction of where you're going?"

Ryoga scratched his head. "Damn, my curse is acting up early this morning." He saw the spatula man giving him a questioning look. "I've got a family curse that messes with my sense of direction. We can get lost following a straight line. Name's Ryoga, by the way."

"Ukyo Kuonji. So, who's this friend you're looking for, if you don't mind me asking?"

Ryoga was getting a weird sense from this guy, telling him something wasn't right. But he couldn't put his finger on it. "Well, his name's Ranma. We owe each other a fight, and he's one of the few guys I can go all out on without worrying too much about hurting him."

Ukyo's eyes furrowed. "That wouldn't happen to be Saotome, would it?"

_Damn, what did his old man do now?_ "Listen, if you have a problem with Ranma, you should probably be placing all the blame on his worthless old man. That fat bastard was the reason we never had our fight two years ago."

"Well, I owe them both for what they did to my family. So they're in Nerima, huh?"

"Listen, he's my friend, so you won't attack him if you know what's good for you. He may not have had anything to do with whatever his old man did to you, so maybe you should drop this righteous anger bullshit and give him the benefit of a doubt. I didn't and I nearly hurt some people who had nothing to do with our fight. I had to learn better, so don't ignore what I'm saying." Ryoga's mind found it difficult to believe he was defending Ranma, but he trusted the fact that most of Ranma's problems really were the fault of his old man.

Ukyo just stared at him, wondering if what he said could be true. "Okay, I'll give him a chance to explain himself—one chance! If what he says doesn't clear him, then his ass is mine, deal?"

Ryoga shook his head. "Deal. But it'll be a civilized chat, not a yelling match. I'll be damned if I let some hothead attack him because he doesn't answer in three seconds with a video tape proving his story."

"Fine, then. Let's head to Nerima."

With that, the two were off, neither one knowing what awaited them.

* * *

Omake!

Akane slowly came to, barely feeling any pain.

"Oh, you're finally awake!"

She turned her head, seeing Dr. Tofu. "Oh, Dr. Tofu. Why am I here?"

"I'm afraid you had a battle with Nabiki. Ranma brought you here as quickly as possible, but…there is some bad news, and some good news."

Akane began to fear the worst. "W…w…what's the bad news?"

"I'm afraid you'll never practice martial arts again."

She was near tears; martial arts were her entire life, without them…

But wait, he said good news. That meant she had hope, hope of one day making Nabiki pay for this suffering. "What's the good news?"

"I just saved a bunch of money switching my car insurance to Geico."

Akane was wrong. First, Dr. Tofu would die, then Nabiki.

* * *

Omake by Howard.

He began to rub his temples, trying to understand what he had been told. "I'm so confused right now. So, you say you're from the future?"

With a roll of her eyes, Nabiki said with exasperation, "We've already covered this. Yes, I'm from the future."

"And you've lived through all this before?"

"Uh-huh."

"And years and years beyond today?"

"Yes," she said, her voice growing tight.

"So let me get this straight. You're some old lady who came back in time, just for me?"

"Now just wait a minute!"

"You're like this shriveled old hag from the future that's trying to get in the pants of a handsome sixteen-year-old boy from your past."

"Ranma!"

"Some old mummy that wasn't getting any so you're using time travel to rob the cradle."

"RANMA!"

"You're some kinda warped, ancient pedophile from the future!"

"RANMA NO BAKA!"

WHAM

The moral of this story? You can't pair up Ranma with a Tendo without getting a mallet.

* * *

If I messed anything up, then let me know including typos.

Any suggestions on how I should continue the story or improve it would also be accepted.

Also, if you have any suggestions for how this should go, let me know. My own imagination, while vast, always enjoys a new thought. Also, catch me if you don't think I am making the characters true to form, or a way to make them better.

And don't forget to visit my website. Get the first peek at new ideas and what is coming out next.


	17. Journey’s Beginning

**Chapter 17**

**Journey's Beginning**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First, don't forget to check out my new homepage.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Nabiki walked beside Ranma, still unsure of how she fit into his life now. She had revealed the truth, revealed all that she was and is, and yet...still had no clue of what he thought.

True, he had held her as she cried, but she knew he would have done that anyway. That was the kind soul Ranma had always been; always wanting to comfort a crying woman.

_Ranma, please don't leave me...not after all we've gone through._

Ranma, however, was still digesting what Nabiki had revealed to him. _Man, this is...is...is way too much. I mean, she just told me everything that'll happen to me for the next few decades, my dreams suggest I drowned, and she is scared I'll leave her._

_I mean, she as much as told me Pops has destroyed the family's honor, I have a mother who may want kill me because of my curse, a multitude of fiancées who expect me to honor Pop's agreements, as well as a psychotic demi-god I need to kill in a little over a year before he tries and destroys the world._

Ranma swore that when he returned to the dojo, he would head on a training trip to straighten things out, but Nabiki informed him he would have been doing that anyway with her. With the school closed while they repaired the damage Akane had caused, she wanted to teach him some more, saying it was to help prepare him for what was to come.

He had to agree. Nabiki had told him that his other self had barely been able to defeat this Saffron guy using a revised Hiryü Shöten Ha: the Hiryü Hyou-Toppa (Flying Dragon Ice Breakthrough), if she remembered the name correctly. Truth be told, he would be grateful if Nabiki could explain that to him. True, he had the principles down, and even had managed to beat Nabiki's speed in the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken in his male form. But still, it would be nice if they could practice the Hiryü Shöten Ha and its variations he apparently had...would...come up with. "What exactly are we going to train in, again?"

Nabiki stayed leaning on his arm, glad that she had managed to grab her bag of clothes before they had left the clinic, as the gown wasn't exactly appropriate clothes for walking in Nerima. "We need to toughen you up a lot, especially if you want to take out the Golden Pair. I figured it would be a good idea to start with the Bakusai Tenketsu, since I ain't letting my worthless little sister hit you with her damn mallet this time around."

"The Breaking Point..." Ranma scratched the back of his head. "So, how exactly does it work?"

"Well, it's an Amazon technique, so you know it involves a lot of pain, right?" Seeing Ranma nod in agreement, she continued. "Your old self never did it, but Ryoga did. You knocked him through solid reinforced walls, and he would just stand right back up, saying it felt like a baby's tap. As far as I know, it doesn't affect your speed, and makes your body able to withstand massive hits. There is one major problem, though."

"Which is?"

Nabiki rubbed her arm across her chest. "I'll have to teach you a technique first to prepare your girl form for the training. It won't hurt as much as getting nailed in the groin while in guy form, but I hear it's a close second."

His eyes went wide. "You mean I have to practice it as a girl as well?"

"Yep." She straightened up as they were now within a block of the clinic. "Like I said, Ranma; you are stuck with a girl's body half the time and you need to know what it can do as well as your guy side."

"Um, Nabiki, about the stuff that can lock me..."

She smiled at him, glad to see he was still learning to think ahead. "I've got a Phoenix Pill already made, we just need to grab it when he head home to load up. After you take it, you'll never have to fear the Cat's Tongue pressure point."

"And the kettle?"

"We can go get that on the next holiday. Herb won't be getting here for another few months to start looking for it. And if we have it, we can trade it for a few Musk techniques. Trust me, his flight technique alone would be worth it, and I'm certain after you see it a few times, you'll be able to refine it so it doesn't waste so much ki."

"Where have you been, Nabiki?"

The turned forward to see Tofu, standing in front of his clinic with a broom in hand. "You know, I tend to worry about severely injured patients who get up and walk away in the middle of the night."

"Sorry, Dr. Tofu." Nabiki wanted to keep Ranma as quiet for as long as possible. She doubted her disclosure of one future would change his foot-in-mouth disease. "I know a ki healing technique, but I needed to be surrounded by nature to use it. I apologize if I worried you."

Tofu released a breath he hadn't known he was holding. He had been worried when the girl was missing, but he knew since Ranma was gone, the girl would be protected. "Well, let me look you over before you head home. Perhaps we could even discuss this technique when you have some time."

She let out a quick smile. "I would love to. Unfortunately, it is for internal use. But between you and Ranma, I'm certain you guys could find some way to employ it outwardly."

* * *

Shampoo put away the fourth scroll she had read so far, before opening the fifth. She was able to read Japanese better than speak it, and since a portion of the scrolls were always in Mandarin, she was breezing through them. The Doctor had been kind enough to have her go over all he had, sharing all his knowledge in healing, even before Shampoo had promised to share with him all the healing techniques of her tribe.

_These techniques are so...so... I don't know what to say. _

Few people in the village knew the truth. Shampoo did love being a warrior, but she wasn't nearly foolish enough to confine herself to that role. Only an idiot would do such.

In the dojo and still asleep, a panda sneezed.

But she also knew that warriors had to find ways to deal with peace. Her great grandmother had chosen magic.

For Shampoo, it was healing.

She was looking at the scrolls like they were gold. Some were alternative methods and somewhat behind what her tribe knew. While others...they were so far beyond even what the tribe had considered. _Great grandmother will be so proud of me. These scrolls...so...good._

Hearing voices, she turned to look down the hallway, to see the nice doctor talking to the male form of Ranma and...Nabiki! _Aiyah, how is she able to be standing after what happened?_

Maybe there were some techniques that weren't in these scrolls.

She walked towards them, catching their conversation.

"Well, if you think it'll help."

"I'm sure it will, Dr. Tofu." Nabiki turned towards Shampoo, before bowing and switching to Mandarin. "Xian Pu, this one would be honored if you would assist me and my beloved in our training of the Bakusai Tenketsu. This one knows you have been through it, and this one would believe it would be a better success if you assisted us."

Shampoo shook away her shock. "You wish this one's help?"

"Yes. This one fears that she has faltered too much, and believes that both she and her beloved would be made better through the training. You may say no, and fear no loss of face. This one simply wishes to have a prepared person on hand so that she does not make a mistake in the training." Nabiki smirked a little. "Plus, we need to prepare my beloved for the training in his other form. It will be...fun."

Shampoo smiled at the inside joke, knowing how often it took the female warriors of her village to understand how to keep the smashing boulder from...flattening certain body parts. She turned to Tofu. "Is okay Shampoo go with them. She get to practice techniques nice man show her."

She smiled as the doctor agreed; informing her he was sending several scrolls with her to help.

Before the trio left, with a now sad Shampoo that she was leaving a warm bed and shower, Tofu called out to them. "Nabiki, do you want to say goodbye to Akane?"

Nabiki stiffened up. She slowly turned around, no emotion on her face. "Tell her that she had better remember this was her last chance."

With that, the trio left.

Tofu sighed before returning to sweeping. Akane would awaken in a few hours, and he would try and get some more information from her.

Somehow, he just knew another powder keg was lit. He just didn't know whom it would explode on.

* * *

"Hey, Ranma, wait up!"

The trio turned to see Ryoga running up to them smiling, while a second figure followed him.

Nabiki shook her head. _Damn it, who knew a changed Ryoga would find Ukyo and bring her here. _"Ryoga, who's your friend?"

Ryoga caught up, smiling at the fact he was able to actually chase after Ranma and not get lost. "Oh, this is Ukyo. I think your dad pissed him off, Ranma."

Ranma stared at his former friend, knowing the reason that **she** was here for. "Sorry, Ucchan, but whatever my Pops did to you, you need to beat his ass."

Ukyo began to reach for her Battle Spatula. "So, you aren't taking any responsibility for what happened to me?"

Ryoga grabbed her hand stopping her from drawing it. "Hey, buddy, you gave me your word of honor you would discuss this civilly, and not like some jackass like I once was. Doesn't your word mean anything?"

Both Ranma and Nabiki were shocked at this. From what Nabiki had said, Ranma have expected Ryoga to join in the fun. _Man, he at least changed._

Nabiki decided to let things out. "Ryoga, I know why they're angry. Would you like to know?"

"Uh, sure. Ukyo here wouldn't tell me a damn thing. But I figured whatever it was, was probably like my problem: all Genma's fault and none of Ranma's."

"Shampoo want to know, too."

"Well, what we have here is a case of worthless fathers fostering their responsibilities on their children."

Ukyo turned towards Nabiki. "Hey, my dad ain't done anything wrong!"

Nabiki smirked, showing her infamous Ice Queen grin. "Really, Ms Kuonji, I know more about things than you do." She decided to ignore Ryoga's gasp at the idea that Ukyo was really a girl finally hitting him. "Your father and Ranma's made an agreement for you to join them. But Genma ditched you, telling Ranma you were waving goodbye. Hell, he made certain Ranma believed you were a boy.

"And of course, when your father realized his trust in Genma was misplaced—like he had no knowledge of Genma's other arrangements—he decided to make you pay. Does that sound right for starters?"

Ukyo growled at her. "And just who are you?"

Nabiki bowed. "I am Nabiki Tendo, heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes Martial Arts, and Fiancée Number One for the hand of Ranma Saotome. I believe you are Fiancée Number Seven, if my research is correct."

By this time, Ryoga had backed up towards Ranma, remembering that one should never stand too close to girls who might get into a fight. They had no problems with going for the painful places, no matter who was in the way. "Hey, Ranma?"

"Yeah, Ryoga?" Ranma, likewise, was doing the same thing.

"I take it your dad's a dead man, huh?"

"Worse, man, I found out he made a promise to my mom that could get me killed."

"Man...and I thought I'd seen hell. You're living in it."

"By the way, Ryoga, remind me to talk to you about the Jusenkyo curses me and Pops have. You'll have another reason to beat his ass."

Ryoga smirked. "He's the panda, isn't he?"

Ranma looked at him with a little shock, but Ryoga waved it off. "With the way my month's been going, I figured it would fit. Plus, it's amazing how clearly you can see things when your head's not in your ass. So, I take it we'll be looking for a cure?"

"Ain't a cure for Jusenkyo, the curses mix."

"You certain?" Ryoga was near frantic. There had to be a cure.

"Yep, Nabiki did some research."

"Damn." Ryoga could feel his depression trying to take over again.

"But I could look for some Nanniichuan for you. A pig-man would be better than a little pet pig."

Ryoga shook his head, a little saddened that his curse might be stuck forever, but Ranma's offer lifted his spirits. "Thanks, I'd like that. When do we get to have our match, by the way?"

"Well, we were headed for some training, wanna come?"

"Sure, just help me keep from getting lost."

Shampoo was still watching the girls, wondering why they were fighting over a male. _Mu Tze must have really wrecked my ability to judge males. I wonder why those two are arguing over him?_

In another universe, a bubbly Amazon sneezed as she was looking for her Airen to give him "too too delicious ramen".

"So, you expect me to believe Ranma is innocent in this?"

Nabiki shook her head. "You'll believe whatever you want, Ukyo. But you know just as well as I do that your father should be the one seeking revenge. Hell, Genma would blame Ranma to save his own furry ass, and would place some of the blame on your own father by saying he had already engaged Ranma. Remind you—if true—that means your father expected Genma to break one honorable agreement, and thus destroy the Saotome family honor, to make an honor agreement with him."

Ukyo started scratching her head. "Well—"

"Also," Nabiki decided to press her advantage. It was her style: confuse the opponent with the truth and a mixture of their own twisted logic to see things your way. "If Genma sold Ranma multiple times, how much would you like to bet he also sold a daughter's engagement as well?"

Both Ranma and Ukyo paled.

"Listen, I can try and solve this thing so you have your honor back, and maybe even be able to register as female again. But I need some time to make certain we're prepared for any of Genma's screw-ups."

"And I should trust you why?"

Nabiki's smile took on a more pleasant appearance. "Because Ranma will always think of you as his friend, thus you are my friend. And like Ranma, I always help out friends."

Nabiki turned towards Ranma, before darting back to face Ukyo. "For starters, you can join us on a small training voyage. We need to stop at my home first to get our supplies. Since you're already packed, I guess you'll just have to settle for pounding Genma while you wait. It won't be a complete victory, but it's a start."

Ukyo simply sighed, before standing up straight. "Fine, I'll pound the jackass, but I reserve the right to fight Ranma for some peace as well."

As they started off, Shampoo walked beside Nabiki, switching to Mandarin. "This one would like to know why you teach a possible enemy?"

"Because, a possible enemy is also a possible ally. Besides, that one's problem is the same as that of my beloved: a father fostering off their duty and responsibility."

Shampoo thought that over. "And if that one still wants your beloved?"

Nabiki looked away from her, trying to regain control over her emotions. She didn't want to lose him, but... "This one will not force her claim to him. He must decide of his own free will to give this one his heart, otherwise such a marriage is worthless." She turned back towards Shampoo. "That is why the marriage laws of your tribe are null here. Blood is not always the best indication of potential. You have seen how my beloved's father acted at your tournament. Does my beloved strike you as that sort of person? Did his panda of a father offer to fight you instead?"

"No, he did not."

"Xian Pu, we often use traditions to make our way, but we cannot forget that even traditions at one time replaced a tradition before them. If we fail to grow, we die. We must make certain that we are in control over our destiny, and no relying on traditions to decide it."

Thus, the five made their way to the dojo. One was thinking about the wise words Nabiki had told her, one was thinking about extracting some revenge on a fat martial artist, one was thinking of dealing with something he would always be stuck with, one was thinking of how much his future might still be haunting him, and one was hoping that she could make everything right and still win the heart of the one she loved.

* * *

As Tofu left her in the room, Akane once again returned to staring at the ceiling, the same as she had done since she had awoken.

_It...it didn't happen. N...Nabiki didn't defeat me. She must have cheated, but how?_

Akane had been racking her brain, trying to figure it out. The little voice that had argued with her before about Ranma had returned, louder than ever.

_**Face it, princess, she kicked your ass.**_

_No, I am the heir to the Tendo School of Anything Goes, not her!_

_**Wrong, she won...so now she is.**_

_But—_

_**No buts, sunshine. You allowed your ego to ride shotgun instead of your conscious, so you ended up paying for it.**_

_I'll challenge her again; I'll get my title back!_

_**And do you think she'll go easy on you this time? Do you honestly think she'll let her temper get out of check again?**_

_It doesn't matter; I know I can beat her. I've practiced all my life._

**_And she had practiced for about six months sooner than you to six months after mother died, as well as for the last month. She knows moves inside and out, while all you do is break bricks and attempt those same moves, before you get angry about failing and break some more bricks._**

_I'm the best, damn it!_

_**Nope, Ranma is better than you, and you know his father has some tricks left hidden. Face it, Akane, you fucked up big time.**_

_Shut up! You're supposed to be on my side._

_**Sorry, but I'm the part that Upperclassman Kuno seems to be missing. I'm your conscious.**_

_No, you're just some voice I need to take medicine to get rid of._

_**Keep thinking that, Akane. But when Nabiki cripples you next time you pull something stupid like this, don't blame me.**_

_My plan was perfect!_

_**And what if that blast from the boiler had injured or killed someone?**_

_Well..._

**_Or how exactly would Nabiki have been safe from Ranma when Kuno told him who he thought she sold him those pictures?_**

_Well..._

_**Get it now? You allowed your personal feelings of weakness and your unstoppable ego to make you an embarrassment to the Art. Akane Tendo, you failed the Art. You failed Mother.**_

_Don't you dare say her name!_

_**I am you, jackass. You know how much she valued honor and the true spirit of the Art. Did what you did follow in that spirit?**_

Akane was silent; staring up at the ceiling, wishing the voice would just go away.


	18. Looking Inside Ourselves

**Chapter 18**

**Looking Inside Ourselves**

Disclaimer: I don't own this series or any other series. I am just floating an idea. I am making no money, nor plan to, off this venture. If you think of suing me over this, then grow up.

First, don't forget to check out my new homepage.

I would like to first personally thank all of those reviewing my stories. I enjoy reading your comments, and try to correct the grammatical errors I miss with my final read-through as well as my spell checkers. The suggestions you all make will help make this story better for everyone to enjoy, as well as allow my to fix some plot holes I may unintentionally leave. If you find any, let me know, and I will correct them and repost the chapters.

Please feel free to review, and make comments. If you find a spelling or wordage mistake, feel free to let me know. Thank you.

Also, please check out my other stories. I try to keep a constant level of dedication to all of them.

* * *

Nabiki snapped awake, scaring the two companions inside the hot spring with her.

"You okay, sugar?"

"Nabiki no is hurt?"

She shook her head, clearing the last vestiges of her dream...nightmare...memory. "Yeah, just had one of those daydreams."

She leaned back, enjoying the warmth the hot spring was offering. While Shampoo was the only one not undergoing the Bakusai Tenketsu training, she was just as exhausted, having to have been the one launching the boulders. _I don't remember it hurting this much._

_But then again, Cologne had been working with me for a year before I even tried this._

They had started the day with mild katas, followed by Ranma and Ryoga going first in the Bakusai Tenketsu. To ensure they didn't get it too fast, and thus lose the true purpose of it, Nabiki and a very reluctant Ukyo donned tight bikinis to distract the two.

Lunch followed, before the two were back hanging again, but this time in their cursed forms. She did find it humorous to see a black piglet trying to break a boulder, but the sudden blood loss was even funnier when he caught sight of Shampoo in a bikini as well.

If she was the insecure type, she would have been upset that Ranma was losing concentration because of any one of them.

Then came the training for Ukyo and Nabiki.

Ukyo was muttering through as best as she could, as she had less experience with unarmed than any of the others, relying more on her Battle Spatula than her own flesh.

Nabiki merely distracted herself with thoughts. She went over Akane's battle again, trying to find in herself why she had been able to release a Shishi Höködan of such power.

She should have known earlier that something was up. She was relearning moves too fast, skipping levels of training that would have given her the reserves to get that tough.

Instead, she was going faster in the Kachü Tenshin Amaguriken than Ranma for a month, even her results in sparring were coming faster than they should have.

Her only excuse for not seeing it earlier was both the trial of merging, the joy of surviving, and then trying to trace down the creator of the rumors against Ranma.

Now that she had the time to consider why her reserves were huge, she was finding herself at a loss to answer.

True, while training under Cologne, she had gotten her reserves to be quite large, and she had never tried them out using an emotion-based chi move, as by then, she had learned of what they could do. She had spent much of her focus on using ki, and had even attempted to rip off DBZ by seeing if she could pull off a Kamehameha Wave, as it was one of the few pure ki ideas she could come up with.

It did make her feel sad: Ranma could invent a move in a minute; she had to steal off anime for ideas.

_Maybe if this is happening, maybe I'm not as far as I thought I was in my pure ki research. _

_Wait! Does that mean I might be as close as I was to pulling it off before that bastard fucked me over?_

She was taken from her thoughts by Ukyo getting out of the water. "Well, I better go start dinner. Any requests?"

"Shampoo be with you to help soon. She need to ask Nabiki questions."

Ukyo nodded and left, making certain to put on a padded sports bra instead of rebinding her breasts again. They received enough abuse in the afternoon, no need to add more now.

"Fellow sister, can you tell this one of the history of the Japanese Amazons?"

Nabiki nodded. She knew eventually Shampoo would start to try and get more information out of her. She was even fairly certain that Cologne was on her way. But over the last day, she had spent enough time trying to craft a believable story. "My mother knew most of our history, but she passed before I could learn much.

"I do remember when she started to train me. She brought out these old scrolls she had hidden in the attic. They were at least a few hundred years old, so she didn't keep them out for long, just long enough to show them to me. Then she produced a notebook, where she said she had written them down word for word from their original Mandarin."

Shampoo took those words in. _The one who stole them may have lost them. If this woman took them and used them to train her girls, she would have made a fine addition to the tribe._

"Anyway, Akane had already decided she wanted to follow our Father's Art, so Mother decided to teach me her Art. My older sister was too kind to be a fighter, so she decided to train as was considered proper for a Japanese girl.

"But soon, Mother got sick. She read the books to me, asking me to keep up my work. But when she passed... I burned them all: the old scrolls and her books. Sure, I had them memorized, but I was young, and thought maybe they had made my Mother ill."

She looked at Shampoo. "Mother was able to tell me of our sisters in China, but pointed out that some of the rules the Elders lived by were out of date, so she made me promise to follow the new rules that she said our tribe had made. She even showed me how to look in on what might be happening to our fellow Amazons, by being able to find the rumors, and discerning what was truth and what was exaggeration."

Shampoo nodded, seeming to believe what Nabiki had said. It would have made sense to her. The PRA loved to spread rumors where it could, and she could hardly blame this girl for not knowing a history never taught to her, as well as trying to strengthen her own tribe.

"So, is an Elder coming here?"

She froze at that. "How...?"

"It would make sense. I am a stranger to you, using techniques you thought only your sisters in China knew. It would make sense to summon someone to confirm if I was telling the truth or not."

Shampoo nodded. "My great grandmother is coming."

Nabiki sighed. _Well, at least I know how she thinks._ "Come, let us get dressed. If we do not hurry, the males will eat all of the food."

The two girls left the hot spring laughing, but there was still a tenseness in the air.

The conversation was not done by a long shot.

* * *

Ranma sighed as she shifted back to male in the hot springs. "Damn it, Ryoga. Why do you keep passing out?"

Ranma was referring to every time they scrubbed before slipping into the springs, Ryoga would see Ranma as a nude girl and promptly pass out.

It was bad enough Ranma had to clean the pig.

It was even worse having to toss him into the springs to revert to normal after Ranma changed back himself.

"Sorry man, no idea why that keeps happening." Ryoga was embarrassed to say the least. He knew Ranma was really a guy, knew that his cursed form didn't change who was in it.

So why the hell was it seeing Ranma nude in his cursed form made him do that!

Ranma just shook his head. "Forget it. Just try and stop doing it."

"Sure."

The two settled in, enjoying the warmth as it removed the stress and soreness that the training had dealt them.

Ranma was soon losing himself in thoughts.

He found himself questioning his relationship with Ryoga more and more since they had come out here.

Before him was the same man who in Nabiki's future had sought to ruin his happiness, using his cursed form to get close and learn his secrets from his fiancée, and even had slept with his wife.

_So, is this Ryoga the same as that one was? Will he betray me when my back is turned? Will he try to make my life hell again?_

_Am I even the same? I mean, I am not acting like I used to. I can speak clearly; I'm not sticking my foot into my mouth as often as before..._

_Is everyone changing?_

_How much have I changed?_

Ranma had found himself becoming more introspective as time progressed. Part of him wanted to lash out and kill Ryoga for what he had done to him in that other timeline.

But another part realized that the Ryoga before him wasn't that Ryoga. They were friends now, training partners. Hell, judging by the looks Ryoga was giving, he might even take away a fiancée or two from the pigtailed martial artist.

But that caused a twinge of pain for Ranma. Nabiki had told him how much Akari and Ryoga had belonged together, but even she didn't know why Ryoga would risk his own marriage over Akane.

There were tons of pieces not making sense to him. He knew Nabiki had to be doing something about the Amazon situation, and had even warned him of Cologne; a mute point on some fronts now that he had a Phoenix Pill in him. Now, the Cat's Tongue Pressure Point could no longer harm him. Nabiki had informed him that this weekend, they were going off to get the Kaisui-fuu and store some of the water in case Herb decided to appear earlier than predicted.

But why was everything going the way it was now? Was chaos such a strong part of his life, that even a girl truly in love with him was becoming drowned in the life he was being fed into?

NO! He refused to believe that his life was destined to end up like...

"_I'm so sorry..."_

"Ranma, you there?"

The pigtailed youth shook his head, the image of a droned girl with red hair in a sinking boat trying to stay in his mind. "Yeah, man. Just lost in thought. What is it?"

"Am I...different?"

Ranma blinked. "Huh?"

Ryoga leaned back some more. "I feel different, and not just because we finally settled things...well, more like I settled things with myself."

Ranma looked at Ryoga. "You mean you feel like the weight of the world ain't on you anymore?"

Ryoga nodded in agreement. "I know this sounds weird, but it feels like I'm not as lost as I once was."

Ranma just sighed. "You lost your need for vengeance. Now, all you have left to keep you going is you."

"So then...if nothing should be bothering me, then why do I have these weird dreams?"

Ranma could only stare. Was what was happening to him also happening to Ryoga? "Go on."

"Well, it might seem weird, but my dreams are making my sleep hell. One has me running from this crying woman in my cursed form, while this gigantic pig is chasing me. The other has that Akane girl—except much more older—laughing at me. I tell you, it is really confusing. All I know is that it feels like my heart is destroyed in both of them."

Ranma sunk into the water a little more, chewing on the information he had just learned. _If my dreams are about what happened to my future self, then are these the future memories of that Ryoga? If they are, then the porker told Akari... If he then went to Akane..._

_Man, I'm seriously beginning to hate the damn tomboy._ "So what do you think they mean."

Ryoga continued to star into the sky, as if he expected the Gods to give him an answer. "No clue, really. I just know it felt...horrible. I...I don't wanna feel like that."

"Ryoga, if you ever find the girl with the pig, make certain you never stray from her."

The Lost Boy stared at Ranma like he had just had asked him to sell his body in Taiwan. "Excuse me; she tried to have the pig kill me!"

"But she wasn't laughing at you. You said she was upset. Maybe you were seeing a future event, and you did something really bad to make her act like that. Maybe she was your one true love, even accepted your curse, and you betrayed her in the worst way possible."

The stare from Ryoga's surprised face slowly dimmed as he delved into the memory. The strange girl had held a strong place in his heart...so maybe it wasn't too far fetched that they had been in love. "Man, if you're right, then I hope I'm smarter this time around."

_You and me both, Ryoga. You and me both._

* * *

"So, that's what he said?" asked Nabiki. She and Ranma had left the camp after dinner to chat. She was certain the others were still there, sleeping. Shampoo had worn herself out constantly tossing the boulders and resetting them, and the other two were tired simply from the training.

"Yeah, so, did that happen to Ryoga?" He had told her of Ryoga's dream, hoping she would know if it was true or not.

"Sorry, but I don't really know. But if Ryoga was still as wishy-washy then as he was during the last time I saw him, then I would say it was a distinct possibility that he told Akari. I know they were married for a while, but after the incident where you found him and Akane together, I never really kept tabs on them." Nabiki found herself cursing her sister once again. _Is Akane really the cause of all this? Is she the lone figure who will never change?_

"So, do you think Akane might change this time around?"

She looked towards the moon, fully out tonight, a sight she had done many times from her window in her apartment, trying to forget the smell of fast food. "I hope. She could be so much better than she is. But why she is this way... I know Kuno did some of this damage." She snorted a little. "Maybe I should take her to a monk and see if they can exorcise her."

"Couldn't hurt," said Ranma. "She sure as hell hasn't been acting right. She is slowly losing it, and you can bet that loss to you didn't help things."

Nabiki leaned onto Ranma's shoulder. "I really had hoped she would be better this time around. I mean, you weren't treating her substandard, she didn't have the engagement forced on her, she was getting rid of the Hentai Horde with our help—"

"She wasn't the center of attention." Ranma looked down at her. "She was always mad if someone showed me attention. You said she got jealous of me wanting to spend time with my own Mother, and that was even when I had to hide as your cousin Ranko. Maybe...maybe all she's afraid of is being left behind."

"Still doesn't excuse what she did in either timeline."

"You said we shouldn't blame them for how they were, only how they are now."

Nabiki nodded. "Maybe the broken Nanban Mirror is why these dreams are happening. I mean, how else you and Ryoga can be dreaming of the future."

"Some dreams," Ranma snorted. "All we dream about is what has to have been the worst day of those lives. I dreamed about a death as a drunk on a boat, Ryoga dreams about losing his wife and a woman he thought loved him, what's next?"

* * *

In the camp, two girls were twisting in their sleeping bags, dreaming of a pigtailed love who had just told them he did not return those feelings. 


End file.
